Chase the Morning
by 27vampyresinhermind
Summary: Rachel celebrates with Santana at club and ends up with more to celebrate than she ever dreamed. A/U Puckleberry featuring Santina and Bike pairings. Rated M for good reason! Smuckleberry abounds! COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: i'm back! so excited about this story. it's A/U, set in New York, featuring a Santana/Rachel friendship & Mike/Puck friendship. Will also feature Santina at the request of Sassy26 and when i started writing, i really liked the way it went. Of course, no need to tell you, this is gonna be Puckleberry, with some Smuckleberry mixed in as well because, let's face it, i can't write anything where those two don't end up in a bed, or against a vanity, or mixing board, or...well you get the point. this is my first venture into the A/U world so if you get confused with anything at all, just message me and i'll do my best to clear it up for you. i want to thank Sassy26 & GoingVintage for the help and motivation they've already provided with this fic so far and (a warning) i plan on cashing in on that many more times! I love you girls, you always make my day. so without too much more ado...read & enjoy! please review, as i won't be updating again until first chapter's reviews kick ass. you can do it guys! love you all!**

Rachel Berry walked up the staircase to her apartment, hoping like hell that her roommate was home. She just landed the biggest and most important role of her career and couldn't wait to break the news to her best friend. Her hands were shaking as she fumbled with her keys in the lock. The excitement was rolling off of her body in waves when she finally pushed the door open.

"Lopez," she yelled when she didn't spot her Latina friend in the living area. No answer. She sat her purse down on the couch and walked down the short hallway to Santana's bedroom. Not hearing any noises coming from the room, she slowly opened the door to see her friend sprawled out on top of her bed in nothing but a tank top and her underwear. The girl had headphones in her ears and her eyes were closed so Rachel wasn't positive that she was even awake. That didn't stop her from crawling on top of her and ripping the headphones out of her ears.

Santana's eyes opened wide when she felt a weight over her body. She laughed when she saw who it was but yelled when her headphones were torn from her head.

"Hey bitch, what was that for? And why are you on top of me?" Rachel rolled her eyes and watched a familiar glint appear in Santana's eyes as she grinned. "Have you finally decided to test out the waters of bisexuality? Your fathers would definitely approve. Although, if we hook up, it could get weird with us already living together and all."  
Santana continued to laugh as Rachel rolled off of her and stood up on the mattress, staring down at her like some midget dictator. She had the biggest urge to call her 'Fem Jong-Il' but she quickly noted how easily she could get kicked for that and promptly shut her mouth. Rachel still wasn't saying anything but Santana could tell she was about to burst with news of some sort. That's when she remembered the audition, _the audition_! She stood up in front of Rachel on the bed and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Oh my god Rach, did you get it?" Rachel struggled to hold back the wide grin and quickly gave up the fight with a squeal.

"Yes! Santana, you are looking at the new Maria for Broadway's revival cast of West Side Story!" Santana threw her arms around Rachel and jumped up and down on the bed with her.

This was the part that Rachel had been dreaming of all her life, the one role that needed her just as much as she needed it. Since moving to New York, Rachel Berry had all but taken Broadway by storm. Critics raved over her for every role she was cast in, saying that the Great White Way was built for performers like her or, even better, built _for her_. The only reason Santana knew every possible little detail about the musical at all was because Rachel had talked about it practically non-stop her entire life, so that meant for most of Santana's life as well.

Santana pulled back from Rachel with a smile on her face.

"When do rehearsals start?" The grin on Rachel's face got impossibly bigger as she held up three fingers and squeaked,

"Three weeks!" She started squealing and jumped off the bed to run around the room, flailing her arms out from her body. Santana just shrugged her shoulders and laughed before doing the exact same thing.

After about fifteen minutes, Rachel realized that all the screaming couldn't possibly be good for her voice, which just happened to be her livelihood, she sat down on the end of the bed to catch her breath. Santana flopped down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

"This is phenomenal. We have to go out and celebrate tonight. I feel like we haven't been to a club in forever." Rachel laughed at Santana and shook her head.

"We went to a club last week, San," she reminded her. Santana, unfazed by the reminder, stood up and pulled her tank top over her head as she walked to her closet.

"Yeah but that didn't count because we weren't celebrating anything. Besides, there's a place I've been dying to go to forever and I hear the owners are _oh hot damn_ fine. We should at least check it out. If you don't like it, we could always go somewhere else or come back home. Come on Rach, don't make me turn on the charm. You know you can't resist when I turn on the charm." She smiled devilishly over her shoulder to the petite woman still seated on the bed. Rachel looked back at her and grinned sheepishly before nodding her head.

"Sounds good to me. But right now, I need to take a shower. The audition ran long so I took the subway home from the theatre and I feel kind of gross." Santana nodded and started yanking tops and skirts out of her closet, tossing them on her bed barely missing Rachel's head as she darted out of the room laughing.

As Rachel let the soothing water run over her skin, she couldn't help feeling that her life was about to change completely.

**

* * *

**

Puck looked up from the paperwork on his desk to see Mike, his business partner and best friend, closing the door behind him.

"Hey Chang," he greeted, "is the DJ set up yet? Doors open in an hour." Mike simply rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Dude, we've only been doing this for a year. It's not like I know what I'm doing or anything. Chill out man. Just do your business thing and I'll do my dance thing and we got this like always. Why are you so tense lately anyway?" The Asian man leaned over the desk to look his friend in the eye, knowing all too well that Puck would try to skirt around whatever issue had him wound so unusually tight. He was normally the life of the party.

"Nothing man, just bogged down with DJ contracts and…" Mike slammed his hand down on the desk and met Puck's startled stare once more.

"Bullshit Puck, now tell me what's really wrong with you?" Puck dropped the papers on the desk and rubbed his eyes.

"Talked to my mom the other day," he answered after a minute had passed. Mike let out a breath slowly, realizing the issue with his friend.

"Aha, so Jewish mother guilt trip about not blessing her with beautiful Jewish daughter-in-law and even more beautiful Jewish grandchildren?" Puck nodded his head somberly and Mike couldn't help but laugh.

"Damn woman threatened to move to New York and, I quote, 'find a suitable woman for me if I couldn't do the job myself.' I feel like I'm stuck in a sadistic version of the fucking _Fiddler on the Roof_ where the curtain never closes! Yenta can't mind her own business and realize that I've got too much shit to worry about without having to deal with blessing her life with grandkids at the moment." Mike burst out laughing when Puck said that.

"You might wanna Google yourself just to make sure she hasn't put you on any of those Jewish singles sites behind your back. That sounds like something she'd do as a backup plan for when you fail to find and seduce an attractive young Jewess into your bed." Puck wanted to roll his eyes but realized, with absolute horror, the truth of Mike's words. His crazy mother had actually told him at one time that she didn't mind him sleeping around, as long as he only slept around with Jewish women. That way, if he slipped up and didn't use protection in the heat of the moment, she'd at least have Jewish grandbabies even if she didn't have a Jewish daughter-in-law. The mere thought of that had made Noah Puckerman swear off sex for a week, and that's kind of a big deal for him.

Mike sat down in the chair in front of the desk and propped his feet up on the corner. Puck looked at him with a glare that Mike promptly ignored with a smile on his face and leaned back with his hands behind his head.

"You know there's a simple solution to this problem." Puck's eyebrow arched and he nodded.

"Yeah, kill my mother and dump her body over Niagara Falls," he said simply. Mike laughed out loud and sat up in the chair, removing his feet from the desktop.

"Dude, no. That would get you arrested and I can't run this place by myself. The answer to your problem is this. Find a Jew and date her." If Puck had been drinking anything at the moment, Mike would've been soaked because he would've spit it out everywhere. Mike saw his shocked expression and continued with a chuckle in his voice. "I know, I know, you don't date girls, you fuck girls. But really, is that not getting old yet? You've been doing that since we were in high school. And I'm not saying you gotta marry anybody right now. But wouldn't dating some chick get your mom off your back long enough so that you could focus on all 'the shit you have to worry about'?" Puck rubbed his temple with the tips of his fingers and shook his head.

"I thought Asians were supposed to be smart. Even if that did get my mother out of my hair, I'd still have a _girlfriend_ to deal with!" Mike feigned a hurt look at the Asian jab and stood up.

"Yeah, well I thought Jews were supposed to be cheap but you helped foot the bill for this place." Puck couldn't help laughing at that before he stood up as well.

"Touché." Mike just nodded somberly in that Yoda-esque way that he'd mastered in the tenth grade before shrugging his shoulders.

"Still, I don't see why you're so afraid of having a girlfriend. You get a hot chick that just so happens to be Jewish, which makes your _dear_ _sweet_ mother happy, and you get to fool around with her whenever you want, which makes you happy. I'm not really seeing any blaring flaws with that plan of action." Puck let out a heavy sigh and ran his hand over his scalp. Mike just didn't get it.

"Can we just drop this conversation right now? I need to check with Artie about the sound system. He did some rewiring yesterday and I wanna make sure the music's not gonna die at two in the morning." He started to move around Mike to the office door but stopped short and turned around. "I'm not gonna date some random chick just to make my mom happy. I'll just point out that my sister hasn't given her grandkids either and that'll buy me a little time." Mike scrunched his nose and shook his head.

"Dude, not cool. Rebecca's cool and you're gonna turn your mom's wrath on her? I'm glad you're not my brother." Puck just laughed and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway before making his way out into the club. All the relationship discussion was getting to him. Why couldn't people (his mother) just accept that he couldn't be tied down?

Rachel stepped out of the taxi and adjusted her blouse. The black pleated miniskirt Santana had convinced her to wear actually looked really good with her cherry red stilettos, and the combination made her legs look amazing (if she did say so herself). The shirt she wore was the only conservative thing about her outfit, and even it couldn't exactly be considered conservative. It was a tight fitting, short-sleeved white button-up with black lace adorning the waist. Her long chocolate hair was pinned halfway up and the rest fell down her back in soft waves. There was no denying it, she was hot and she knew it. She turned to see Santana getting out of the taxi behind her and felt her usual pang of envy over her friend. But it just made her smile.

No matter what Santana wore, she always managed to look like a goddess. The Latin beauty was wearing a navy blue mini-dress with a sweetheart cut that accentuated her breasts, as if she needed it, and a skirt that flared when she moved. Her black strappy heels made her two inches taller than normal. Rachel didn't feel too short though because her own heels almost evened them out. Santana's hair was straightened and fell around her shoulders.

Rachel smiled at her friend. Santana was definitely on her 'I'd go gay for…' list.

"Rach, you look amazing, like Catholic school girl wet dream." Rachel couldn't help laughing at the lewdness of Santana's comment.

"I'm Jewish San." Santana just waved her hand dismissively and scoffed.

"Okay, so Hebrew school wet dream, who cares. My point is that you look hot tonight babe. And I will personally kill you if you don't get a little action from one of these fine specimens tonight. Or from me, you know I'm always available for my best girl." Rachel laughed again but then turned to look at the club.

The line went around the block! Granted, Chase the Morning was one of the top clubs in the city but Rachel had never expected a line that long to get in this early in the night. The place had only opened two hours prior! She turned to look at Santana, worry written all over her face.

"We're never gonna get in tonight. Look at this line, it goes on forever." Santana rolled her eyes at her petite friend and slipped her hand into hers.

"Rach, you're a Broadway star. And we're hot. We don't wait in lines to get into clubs. Come on, let's put these womanly wiles to use." Rachel started to protest but Santana quickly pulled her off the curb, walking with purpose past the people in line right up to the bouncer, a tall lanky man with short spiky hair, at the front door. Rachel knew the drill.

She blushed as Santana's arms snaked around her midsection and smiled demurely up at the man, feeling Santana's breath on her neck. Santana shot the guy a look that clearly said 'we'll let you watch if you let us in', which just so happened to be every man's fantasy. With a smirk on his face, he unhooked the velvet rope and raised it up, nodding for the girls to go inside. Both Rachel and Santana shot him a flirty wave of their fingers before the door closed behind them.

Rachel immediately started laughing the second the door was shut and slapped Santana's arm.

"That is the last time I do that with you. One day, the bouncer is going to be gay and completely immune to our 'womanly wiles' and then where will we be? Out in that line from hell where all those other…"

"Are you done yet," Santana interrupted her with a yawn. A group of people walked by at that moment and one blonde in particular caught her eye. "Ooh, I came to shop tonight and I see some things I wouldn't mind trying on right _now_. Damn, did you see that blonde?" Rachel giggled and shook her head.

"Come on, let's get something to drink. If we're celebrating, I want alcohol and a dancefloor." Santana whooped and threw her arms up in the air.

"There's my girl! Let's go!"

* * *

Puck jumped when Mike came up behind him and slapped him on the back. He was watching the swirling dancefloor from the safety of his office window above the club.

"Mark just got sick and we need another bartender for a few minutes until he comes back. You know more about mixing all that stuff than I do." Puck rolled his eyes and chuckled darkly.

"You'd think that guy's pregnant with as sick as he stays. I'm this close to firing his sorry ass if he can't keep his shit together for one whole night." Mike just laughed and nodded his head.

"Yeah yeah yeah, now come on downstairs. Maybe when he comes back, we'll hit the floor. You can rub up on some fine piece of ass and get your mind off your mom." Mike laughed at his own words, at his own horrible imitation of Puck, and the fact that Puck was full-on glaring at him. He walked by him, shoving him roughly in the shoulder, which only served to make the tall Asian man laugh harder as he followed Puck downstairs into the club.

The second Puck stepped behind the bar, he grabbed a beer and took a swig. A couple of bottle-blonde Playboy bunny wannabes strutted up and ordered two Cosmos, which he fixed with a smirk. Even if they weren't his type, he still had to play the good host, whether they knew he owned the place or not. When they slinked off, he peered out onto the dancefloor. That's when he saw her.

She had legs that went for miles and her hips rolled seductively in time with the throbbing beat of the music. The way she smiled, like she was having the time of her life, was electrifying. Her friend, a hot Latin chick, ground up against her back and Puck felt his jeans tighten. He noted the drooling faces of the men around them, obviously staring but afraid to do anything about it, and smirked to himself. The smaller one, the one who'd originally caught his eye, broke away from her friend and started dancing by herself for a second. That second was long enough for Puck to admire the way her body flowed with the music. She was, by far, one of the hottest women he'd seen in like, ever. What was better, and infuriating, was that she looked familiar and he couldn't figure out why.

The song blended into another one as the two women made their way off the dancefloor, headed straight for the bar.

Rachel pulled Santana closer to her as they made their way to the bar. She'd already had a drink and her legs felt somewhat light when they weren't moving to music. Santana's laugh rang in her ear as she sat down on a stool in front of the bar. Suddenly, Santana was tapping her on the shoulder and leaning over to whisper in her ear.

"Rach, ridiculously hot bartender is checking you out. He's not even trying to hide it." Rachel quickly glanced in the direction that Santana indicated and forced herself to stifle a gasp. 'Ridiculously hot' was a gross understatement. The man she saw walking towards them from the end of the bar was like some sort of Adonis. His high cheekbones and chiseled jaw just screamed to be touched, to have her fingers run across them.

"What can I get for you ladies?" Oh god, that voice. It had a smooth timbre, but still managed to sound rough around the edges. At that point, Rachel realized that this man had, with one sentence, managed to turn her thoughts into a nonsensical internal psycho-babble. She shook her head and sat her small clutch on top of the bar before answering,

"Two beers please." She started to pull the money out to pay for the drinks as he sat the bottles in front of them. He waved his hand, causing her to look back up at him.

"Don't worry about it. These are on the house." Santana laughed beside her and grabbed her beer, taking a long pull from the bottle and smiling at Rachel.

"Such a gentleman, isn't he Rach?"

Puck perked up when he heard the girl's name. Rachel was a Jewish name. The chick definitely set off his Jewdar, in the best possible way of course, but he didn't really think there was a cool way to ask someone if they're Jewish. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mark returning to his post but when he turned back to face the girls, they were turning to leave. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. Rachel turned her head back, looking at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Wait a second, uh, you wanna dance?" He watched as her friend elbowed her sides and Rachel shot her a half-glare in return before looking back to his hand still wrapped around her tiny wrist. She cocked her head to the side and smirked at him, which he thought looked sexy as hell.

"Won't that get you in trouble with your boss?" Puck just returned her smirk and shook his head.

"Nothing to worry about there. Is that a yes?" She smiled and nodded, watching as he let go of her and moved to speak with one of the other bartenders.

"Okay seriously Rach," Santana spoke into her ear, "if you don't tap that, I will. He is gorgeous with his bedroom eyes trained all up on you." Rachel laughed and took another swig from her beer before turning to her friend.

"I'm just dancing with him and his bedroom eyes." Santana rolled her eyes and leaned back against the bar.

"Well, I can think of a few other dances that would be a lot more fun than anything on that floor." Suddenly, her gaze fell on a woman a feet away from her. She was Asian, really cute, wearing this steampunk/dominatrix/Victorian outfit that screamed 'you can look but that's all' and Santana's curiosity was instantly piqued. She heard Rachel laugh beside her.

"Go get her San." Santana shot her an appreciative look before strutting off in the eccentric woman's direction. When she turned her head back towards the dancefloor, she was met with the spine-tingling smirk of the bartender. Without a word, he took her hand in his and pulled her swiftly to his body. His eyes were playful as she stumbled into his chest and grabbed onto his forearm. Rachel inhaled sharply as she felt the veins running down his arm. She quickly regained her composure and walked out in front of him, pulling him along behind her as she headed straight for the middle of the floor, Rachel's clutch purse forgotten on the bar.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Mike had watched the entire exchange from a few feet away. He'd seen the way his friend's eyes had trained on the small brunette, completely entranced with her when she'd been on the dancefloor. He saw the way that Puck had practically ignored the other customers around him, something that Puck _never_ did when he was working. (What? He was actually pretty professional when it came to the club.) But, above all else, he saw the way his friend had literally lunged at the girl when she'd started to walk away. Now Mike had known Puck since they were teenagers and if there's one thing he knew more than anything else was that Puck didn't chase girls, they chased him. Puck had broken his own cardinal rule and Mike was fairly certain that the poor schmuck hadn't even realized it. That's when he noticed the girl's purse thing still on the counter and he smiled to himself. Puck would definitely want to see this girl again, and the plan he quickly hatched in his mind pretty much guaranteed another meeting between the two. Stealthily, he made his way over to the purse and grabbed it off the bar. He knelt down and quickly locked it in the safe under the register before anyone saw him do so. Quite pleased with himself, he pressed a beer to his lips and grinned slyly.

Puck smiled at the way her fingers entwined with his as he followed her out to the middle of the floor. When she turned around and swung her arm around his neck, he almost laughed at how natural it felt. She rolled her hips to the beat, and found his hands on her waist before he realized what was happening.

He'd heard the song countless times before. I mean, come on, he owned a club and his best friend was a dancer. There wasn't a lot of stuff he hadn't heard. But something about the way her body swayed to the industrial, mechanical whirring, the way her ass rubbed against him to the erratic rhythm of the bass, the way her lips were mouthing the words of the rap; suddenly, "I Can Transform Ya" became his favorite song in the world.

Rachel felt free, with a complete stranger. Something had to be wrong in her head. He trailed his fingers down her arm before grabbing her wrist and hauling her hand up to the back of his neck. His chest, every muscle painfully defined, was pressed to her back so close that she wasn't sure if it was the throbbing of the music she felt vibrating throughout her body, or the man's heartbeat. Or both. She couldn't deny the heat pooling low in her stomach as she felt his hot breath on her neck and his hand resting high on her thigh. He touched her with purpose, and even though she wasn't certain what that purpose was, she didn't really care.

In an instant, she felt his hands grip her hips tightly and she was turned around, facing him once more. Puck moved forward just slightly, into her space, and pulled her into his. Before he knew it, he'd hiked her leg up over his hip and she ground her pelvis into his. He pretty much died in a pile right there. The lust burning through her eyes he knew mirrored his own as he stared back at her. Woman was hot as hell and knew it.

The song was coming to an end but neither Puck nor Rachel was ready for the dance to end. Puck leaned in, about to suggest they get the hell out of there and continue a different type of dance, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Rachel saw the tall Asian man walking towards them out of the corner of her eye. She watched as he leaned in close to her dance partner, whispering something in his ear over the music and that's when it hit her. She didn't even know the man's name! When the Asian took off, weaving effortlessly through the crowd, the man turned back to her. His hands rested on her hips and he pulled her close. She felt his breath on her face and knew, she just _knew_, that he was going to kiss her. But as the seconds passed, and the pressure of his lips went missed, she came out of her fog and stared back at him.

"I'll find you," he mouthed. And then he was gone. It instantly felt weird, not having him there. Which was weird in and of itself. She didn't know anything about him so it was ridiculous to feel anything at all by his abrupt absence. But she couldn't deny the fact that, without his body attached to hers in some way, she felt off. She knew she had to numb that feeling some way, so she quickly directed her body back towards the bar.

Rachel downed a beer just as a semi-attractive guy sidled up beside her, a little too close for comfort. He smelled like alcohol, like the bartenders should have cut him off before he even walked into the club that night. Rachel just turned and smiled politely at him as he looked her up and down.

"Hey baby, you look like you could use a drink." Rachel's smile became a grimace as she suddenly didn't feel like entertaining the fool on the stool. Not bothering to hide the disdain in her voice, she replied,

"Funny, you look like you've had about nine too many." The drunken man just leaned in closer, completely undeterred by her obvious dislike towards him, and smiled.

"Care to dance?" he asked. She almost threw up all over him just to force him to get the picture that she was completely uninterested. She turned away from him and looked for Santana. To her surprise, she found her friend still standing, talking with the Asian woman from before, except now she was shamelessly flirting with her. Rachel smiled at her, hoping that Santana would understand her plea. She caught Santana's eye and then turned back to the moron who just couldn't take a hint. He grinned a cocky smile and leaned in again. "So, how about that dance?"

Just then, Santana walked up and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Hey baby! Is this guy bothering you?" Not waiting for an answer, Santana looked over at the guy still on the barstool and said, "Sorry honey, she's taken. You can leave now." Her dismissive tone seemed to have no effect. Instead of leaving, the man just sat back, a happy drunken smile on his face and his thin finger brushing against Rachel's bare arm.

"Now come on, I bet we could all have a little fun together." Santana's fake saccharine smile immediately turned upside down as she grimaced at the man. Her voice lowered dangerously and Rachel was surprised she could still hear her at all.

"Now listen to me, you creepy son a bitch. You're gonna pick your sorry ass up from that stool, walk away from my friend, and not bother her for the rest of the night. If you don't, I will not hesitate to castrate you. I can assure you that the only _fun_ you'll be having tonight is with yourself. Now just walk away, you sad little man." The tone in the Latina's voice was so vicious, it actually made Rachel fear for the man's testicles out of pity. She watched as his eyes got huge with actual fear and he backed slowly away from the bar.

Rachel turned back to Santana and threw her arms around her neck.

"Oh my god, thank you San!" Santana hugged her back and pulled her away from the bar.

"No problem. What happened to the hot bartender?" Rachel shrugged her shoulders, feeling an odd sting in her throat at the mention of the man.

"I don't know. We were dancing but then some guy came up and pulled him away. He said he'd find me but I'm not holding my breath." Wanting desperately to change the subject, Rachel smiled up at her friend. "So what's going on with you and the dominatrix?" Santana actually blushed at the mention of the woman, and then proceeded to giggle.

"Her name's Tina. Not what I usually go for but she's a lot of fun." Rachel raised an eyebrow at the smitten look that covered Santana's face.

"Good kisser," she questioned. Santana just shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't know yet. Can't wait to find out though." Rachel's mouth fell open in shock. Santana was more of a 'kiss now, maybe call later' kind of girl. She went through men and women like she went through shoes. No one ever really held her interest for very long. But as Rachel looked towards the group that Santana was pulling her to, she couldn't help thinking that there was no way Santana could be bored with Tina.

Santana introduced her to the group and they all started talking again but Rachel couldn't keep her eyes off the dancefloor, hoping to spot the shaved head of the bartender. Pretty soon, one of the guys in Tina's group asked if she'd like to dance and Rachel said yes, in desperate need of a distraction. She danced with a few different guys throughout the night, but she just couldn't shake the notion that it didn't feel right. Their hands weren't calloused enough, their touch too light, their bodies not fluid with hers. Basically, they weren't the bartender. After another hour or so, Rachel was ready to leave the club having lost all hope of seeing the mysterious man again. She watched with a content smile as Santana and Tina exchanged numbers and then linked her arm through Santana's to leave.

When they got outside, blue lights were flashing along the curb. They heard murmurs all around them about a fight of some sort breaking out in the line, a gun being pulled on the owner, a gun being pulled on the bouncer, the police being called in, the owner was sent to the hospital, a cop was sent to the hospital. They didn't exactly have a damn clue what had happened, but as Rachel slid into the cab beside Santana and looked back out to the crowd outside the club, she noticed a familiar looking shaved head.

**

* * *

**

Puck was pacing the sidewalk, watching as the idiot who'd pulled a knife and started a fight in the line was shoved into the backseat of a police cruiser. He ran his hand over his head and looked back at Mike who was giving his statement to another cop. He was anxious to get back inside the club and find Rachel, if for nothing else but another dance. He turned out towards the street and watched the cars passing by the club when he felt Mike's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey man, the cops need to know if we're gonna press charges. He's already going to jail for a public intoxication, disturbance, and something about a concealed weapon." Puck turned his head and looked at the moron in the backseat of the squad car, his anger rising again.

"Hell yeah we're pressing charges. Fucking asshole, who the hell pulls a knife on a bouncer anyway?" Mike just nodded his head and walked back over to the police officer. Puck realized that this whole ordeal would probably cause them to have close early for the night. It was too dangerous to stay open. He was pissed about that thought but the last thing he needed was something similar repeating _inside_ the club, putting more people in danger. He didn't want any more people to get injured. His bouncer had a gash missing out of his arm but had refused treatment and someone in the line that had tried to stop the fight had gotten punched in the process and was currently nursing a broken nose on the sidewalk where the cops were taking his statement. Puck just wanted to go back inside and find Rachel!

When everything was over and the cops gave the okay to leave, they told the remaining bouncers to start turning away patrons. Mike and Puck went back inside and had the DJ make an announcement that the club would unfortunately be closing early for the night. There was a slight uproar from the displeased club-goers but everyone eventually started filtering out through the various exits. Puck's eyes trained on the crowd, trying to find the familiar head of silky brunette hair but to no avail. Once the main area of the club was empty and the employees started cleaning up, Puck retreated back to his office.

He stood, as he'd started the night, up against the windows looking out into the club. He watched as the last customer left and, still not having seen the small brunette woman, this Rachel, he slumped down in his chair behind his desk and pressed his fingers against his temple.

His head shot up when he heard something drop unceremoniously on his desktop. He stared up at Mike for a second, who had a shit-eating grin on his face, and then down at the little cloth purse thing on his desk.

"The hell is this and why the fuck are you so happy about it?" He didn't like the smirk his friend wore. That was _his_ smirk, not Mike's.

"Remember the hot little thing you were all up on tonight like white on rice?" Puck groaned and rubbed his head again.

"Ugh dude, English please. My dumbass Asian slang translator is broken right now." Mike just scoffed and flipped him the bird with that annoying little smirk still firmly in place. But then he stood up and made a big show of zipping up his jacket and slicking his hair back. When he was done, he stood straight up and placed his hand on his stomach, trying to look like a 'gentleman'. Puck chuckled at his stupidity but wondered what his friend was getting at with the little bag.

"Mr. Puckerman," Mike spoke with a distinguished inflection in his voice which made Puck laugh again. "Would you happen to recall the beautiful young damsel you accompanied on the dancefloor this fine evening?" Puck stopped laughing and sat straight up in his chair.

"What are you talking about Chang?" Mike laughed and clapped his hands, not-so-secretly relishing in his friend's obvious interest in the woman.

"Oh, have I said something of interest?" Puck growled and stood up.

"Spit it out Mike! Did you see her?" Mike continued to laugh as Puck just grew angrier.

"Oh I saw her alright. I saw her when your eyes couldn't bear to be torn away from her while she was on the dancefloor. I saw her when you practically ripped her arm out of its socket trying to make sure she didn't leave the bar. I also saw her up close when I came to get you to help deal with the fight outside. But most importantly, I saw when she left that little thing on top of the bar. And I, in all my awesomeness, noticed that you were so into her that I created a way to insure that you see her again." Puck furrowed his brow, slowly understanding what Mike was saying.

"You stole her fucking purse! Dude, what's wrong with you?" Puck slammed his hands down on the desk and the little bag bounced slightly.

"Chill the fuck out man! Now, you can return the little thing to her. Which means, you get to see her again." When Puck didn't immediately seem very excited about the fact that he would be seeing the woman again, Mike almost started to doubt his intuition. That was just nuts. Puck was in denial. He'd seen the way they danced together. No way in hell was Mike about to let his best friend ruin something before it started just because he had a slight tendency to be a douchebag.

"So Master Chang, since you have this all planned out, what exactly am I supposed to do now? Show up on her doorstep in the middle of the night to return her _purse_? You're a moron." Mike's face fell. He knew he hadn't imagined the chemistry he saw between his friend and the mystery woman. So why the hell wasn't Puck jumping at the chance to see her again? "If I do that, she's gonna think I'm some kind of freaky-ass stalker and I don't need that." And there it was! Mike grinned at Puck from across the desk, understanding fully.

"You're scared of what she'll think of you," Mike said knowingly. When Puck glared at him, he knew he'd hit the nail right on the head. "That must have been some dance man. I've never seen you this hung up…"

"I'm not hung up," Puck interrupted. Mike just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, just because you call me a moron all the time doesn't mean I am one. So anyway, since this is a bar I'm pretty sure that there's gonna be some identification in that little bag. Just open it already." Puck exhaled heavily but reached for the purse anyway. Very carefully, like it was a bomb, he popped the snap on the top and peered inside.

He felt really guilty about going through a woman's purse. That was just something you didn't do. But as he looked inside, he saw a small plastic card with a picture. He pinched the card between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it gently from the bag, careful not to disturb any of the rest of the items. Puck held the woman's license up in the light of the office and stared at the picture for a second.

"Rachel Berry, why does that name sound so familiar?" Mike shrugged his shoulders and easily plucked the card from Puck's fingers while grabbing the purse with his other hand and dumping it out on the desk. "What the hell are you doing? Didn't your mom teach not to go through women's shit?" Mike just laughed and grabbed the cell phone that fell out. Puck grabbed it back before he had the chance to open it and go through her contacts. Mike looked at him, kind of stunned by the odd respect that Puck was showing for this woman's possessions.

"What's the big deal man? At this rate, you're never gonna see her again. I didn't hide this stupid thing for you just so you could stare at all of her stuff." Puck looked up when Mike had said something about hiding the purse and he knew he'd said the wrong thing. He quickly started speaking again before Puck could start yelling. "If you're not gonna show up on her doorstep in the morning, at least use her phone to call somebody so they know we've got all her crap." Puck looked at her cell phone in his hand and shook his head.

"It's like two in the morning. I'm not gonna wake up one of her best friends in the middle of the night just so she can have a reason to be pissed off more at me." Mike furrowed his brow at Puck and cocked his head to the side.

"Wait, why is she pissed at you?" Puck rolled his eyes and set the phone down in front of him.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because my best friend stole her purse so I would have an excuse to see her again. God, that sounds so pathetic. What the hell is wrong with you?" Mike was starting to get annoyed with Puck's lack of appreciation. His plan was brilliant, he knew it was. He was just going to have to bring out the big guns. He quickly shrugged his shoulders and reached over the desk, stuffing everything back into the purse.

"Whatever dude. If you're not interested man, I'll take her. I saw the way she danced, I could definitely tap that." The words felt weird coming out of his mouth. But he knew that he had to make Puck think he could lose the woman before he actually got her, otherwise he'd never make a move. When he saw Puck's eyes narrow up at him, he smiled internally knowing that he had him.

"Fuck you man! Give me that back. I'll call her, or somebody from the phone, whatever. But not right now. At a normal time, I'll call." Mike smiled, very pleased with himself, and walked out of the office without another word. Puck's outburst had told him all he needed to know. Puck wanted this woman, enough to chase her down, and Mike couldn't help thinking that maybe, just maybe, he could help him out in getting her.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: holy shit guys! the response to this story has already blown my mind and you've only seen one chapter! 32 reviews, for one chapter, of my work! that's fucking record for me. you guys are amazing and i can't thank you enough for this. it's amazing. your reviews made my whole damn month. i love you all so much for caring enough to alert and favorite the story. but when you review, heaven opens up for me and mark salling sings in my ears! it pretty amazing. if you review, i'll share him with you all! it'd be amazing if the response to this chapter would match or exceed the response to the first one! that would blow my mind even more. you guys are amazing, i really can't say it enough. so anyway, some things are explained a little in this chapter. because of where i live, i'm not able to keep up with Broadway as much as i'd love to so if the shows mentioned are out of order (they are, i know), i'm sorry if that bothers anyone. i don't own Repo! the Genetic Opera or Glee...so sad. read, enjoy, and blow me away with your astounding reviews and support again please!**

Santana rolled over and looked at the clock on her bedside table. 10:00 a.m., what the hell? What was that noise and why wouldn't it just go away? A few more seconds of the noise and it started to sound very familiar. Just like the song that played every time her phone rang. Santana's eyes shot open and she sat up in her bed, a move she immediately regretted as she grabbed her head in pain. She hadn't exactly been paying attention to how many drinks she'd had the night before but she knew it had to be a lot. She was a girl that could hold her alcohol. The noise kept going and she slowly realized that her phone was ringing. She glanced around the dark bedroom and saw the square of light shining on top of her dresser. Flipping the phone open, she garbled,

"Hello?" There was a pause on the other line and Santana started to think that she'd imagined the phone ringing in the first place. But then,

"Hello? Do you know how I could get in contact with Rachel Berry? It's kind of important." Somewhere in the dark recesses of her mind that were still sort of fuzzy, the voice on the phone sounded familiar. At the mention of Rachel, her eyes opened a little wider. She coughed once, trying to get the hairy teeth taste out of her mouth and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Who is this," she questioned warily. No matter how hung over she was, there was no way in hell she was just gonna hand out information about her best friend to some stranger over the phone. Which brought her to her next question. "How did you get this number?" The person on the other end sighed, and she thought she heard a small chuckle.

"My name is Noah Puckerman. I'm the owner of Chase the Morning. Rachel Berry left her purse there last night and I'd like to return it to her as soon as possible. Could you just tell me how to get in touch with her?" Santana couldn't shake the feeling that this man's voice should be saying something about alcohol instead of purses. That thought process didn't really make a lot of sense though so she groaned to herself and slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Yeah, hold on a sec. I'll see if she's awake." The second Santana opened her bedroom door, the smell of cinnamon rolls assaulted her senses. Of course Rachel was up, and cooking. Lucky bitch never got hangovers no matter how much she drank. Granted, she didn't drink _that_ much, but it still pissed Santana off that she got the fun of alcohol without the bad.

When she walked into the kitchen, Rachel was standing there in an oversized t-shirt putting icing on her famous homemade cinnamon rolls. She cleared her throat as she leaned against the counter and started to shove the phone in her direction but Rachel turned around before she got the chance.

"Santana! I was about to come wake you up. I think I left my purse in a cab last night or something. I can't find it anywhere and it's got my cell phone, my ID, my credit card. I don't know what I'm going to do. What are you laughing about? This isn't funny." Santana just shook her head and held her own phone out in front of her.

"Here, it's for you." With the funniest confused look on her face, Rachel took the phone from Santana's hand and pressed it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, can I please speak to Rachel Berry?" Rachel's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. _That_ voice, that _voice_! Santana's amused expression changed to curiosity at Rachel's reaction. Rachel placed her hand over the mouthpiece and held the phone away.

"Oh my god it's him!" Her brain still fuzzy, Santana didn't really make the connection and just stared back at Rachel.

"Well, talk to _him,_ I guess." She watched Rachel take a deep breath and felt like she was missing something. Rachel pulled the phone back to her ear and spoke.

"Um, this is Rachel Berry. May I ask who is speaking?" The deep, unmistakable voice laughed and replied,

"My name is Noah Puckerman. I own Chase the Morning and I believe you left your purse at the club last night." Rachel clutched her hand to her heart and breathed a sigh of relief, momentarily forgetting how similar this 'Noah's' voice sounded to that of the bartender's.

"Oh thank God, I panicked this morning when I couldn't find it. Should I come down to the club to pick it up?" She quietly jumped up and down with excited that her purse had been found.

"Well nobody's there right now but I'm going down to the Village this afternoon to meet with a DJ. If that's not too out of the way for you, I could meet you somewhere close by." Rachel thought about it for a second. The Village was a little corner bistro just a few blocks down from the apartment building she and Santana called home.

"I could meet you there if that's okay with you. I know I'll sound like a complete brat for saying this but I feel somewhat lost without my phone. I'd really like to get it back as soon as possible." She heard Noah laugh lightly before he responded.

"Don't worry about it. I understand completely. My meeting should be over by twelve thirty. Is that time alright for you?" Rachel smiled into the phone, ridiculously elated at the fact that she was getting her phone back.

"That's perfect. How will I know who you are?" The man on the phone chuckled but she wasn't sure of the reason.

"I'll recognize you. Don't worry about that." Rachel furrowed her brow at that comment but shrugged anyway.

"So, I suppose I'll see you then. Thank you so much for this." The two said their goodbyes and Rachel closed Santana's phone. Santana uncrossed her arms and took the phone from Rachel's giddy outstretched hand.

"I guess someone found your purse." Rachel jumped up and down again and clapped her hands together. Santana scoffed and reached around her for a cinnamon roll. As she started peeling the sugary concoction apart in her fingers, she looked back up at Rachel. "You know, that guy sounded really familiar."

"I know. Call me crazy but he sounded exactly like the bartender from last night." Realization hit Santana as she remembered the bartender. Her thoughts about how 'the voice' on her phone should have been talking about alcohol made complete sense now. She grinned at Rachel and swallowed her breakfast. As she was walking to the refrigerator, she said,

"That guy was hot. I bet that was him on the phone. It's kind of cute that he would lie about being a club owner. Sad, but cute. I'm going with you." Rachel's head shot up when she said that but before she could say anything, Santana added, "to protect you. What if it's some creep who just found your bag last night and is trying to get with you or something. I'd probably kill myself if something happened to you Rach. That is, if Broadway doesn't kill me first for _letting_ something happen to you. I'll sit in a corner or something. So don't argue with me. I'm going." Rachel quickly shut her mouth, knowing the tone in Santana's voice meant any argument would be a waste of breath.

"Okay, I guess. It's not like I'm an adult or anything." Rachel's sarcasm was almost totally joking. She actually loved that Santana was so protective of her, it just got old sometimes.

"Besides," Santana continued, "your dads would resurrect me and kill me again. That shit is not happening on my watch." Rachel just rolled her eyes.

"I got it, San. Now will you go get dressed already? I know it's gonna take forever for you to get ready because your head is probably pounding right now. Take some aspirin and a shower because if I have to deal with "bitchy hungover Santana' instead of just usual 'bitchy Santana', I might strangle you." Santana laughed but immediately regretted doing so. Her head _was_ pounding. As she walked out of the kitchen, she quickly retorted,

"You'll thank me when you _don't_ get kidnapped by some stalker freak." Rachel couldn't help laughing a little louder than usual, just to get back at the Latina. When she heard her friend groan in slight pain, she smiled to herself. _Serves her right,_ she thought.

* * *

Puck sat in the little bistro with the purse on the table in front of him. He was facing the door, watching for the tiny brunette to walk in. He felt kind of nervous. That was stupid. He had no reason to feel nervous. It was just a woman. She was no different from any other woman he'd ever met!

Except for the fact that she was completely different. Don't ask how he knew that. Maybe it was the fact that he actually wanted to see this woman again, and he hadn't slept with her…yet. Maybe it was the fact that he was actually interested in getting to know her. Maybe, just maybe, it was that nagging feeling in the back of his head that he'd seen this woman before, in a completely different setting from the club. But, no matter how much he tried to figure it out, he just couldn't place it. Somehow, he'd forgotten the existence of Google. It never occurred to him the night before to just look her up on the internet. That would've made him feel like more of a stalker than going through her belongings had and he hadn't enjoyed that feeling at all.

He looked down at the little bag and sighed. This was bullshit. He didn't get nervous about anything or anyone. And Rachel Berry, no matter how hot she was, wasn't about to change that.

The door to the restaurant dinged and his head shot up. The person standing in the doorway was some old man who looked like he'd seen better centuries so Puck turned his head back down. He flipped his phone open and checked the time. The meeting with the DJ had ended a little earlier than expected so it was just a little after twelve. He was already sick of waiting. His patience sucked ass at the best of times, and this was certainly not one of those times. He didn't have a damn clue what he was going to say, which pissed him off simply because he was actually worrying about what to say in the first place. How in the hell could one woman in one dance turn his brain into partially functioning goo? Had the dance been that good?

That answer was simple: fuck yeah!

Rachel walked briskly down the sidewalk with Santana in the direction of The Village. She'd wanted to go early but Santana had forbidden her, saying something about not wanting to seem too eager. Rachel didn't give a shit about eagerness. She wanted her stuff back ASAP! What if her director had called about changes to the play schedule? What if rehearsals had been moved up and she was supposed to start next week? What if they'd changed their minds on casting her in the first place and called to let her know? Okay, so she wasn't really excited about the prospect of that last one, but still. She wanted her damn phone back.

Santana pushed the door to the café and walked in. Rachel followed her inside and watched as Santana moved lithely to a corner booth to sit. Rachel then walked over to the counter and ordered a drink. While she was waiting, she looked out the window onto the street at the people passing by. After a second, she felt a warm body next to her. When she turned her head, the gaze that met hers startled her.

"You," she spluttered. "What are you doing here?" The bartender from the night before, somehow even more striking in the daytime, was standing beside her smirking. It was infuriating, and hot.

"I'm returning your purse, or wallet, or whatever you call this thing." She looked down to his outstretched hand to see her tiny little clutch from the night before. Well, it wasn't tiny to her. But in his hand, his large strong hand, it looked miniscule. Rachel slowly reached out and took the clutch from him before looking back up into his eyes. She found that she had to take a breath before she spoke.

"I suppose Mr. Puckerman was too busy to meet with me. I hope you'll pass along my thanks for returning my purse." Puck shook his head at her words.

"What are you talking about? I'm right here. I said I would return it personally, and here I am." The whole 'fish out of water' look looked insanely adorable on her as her mouth opened and closed for a second.

"But, but," she stammered. He chuckled at her and suddenly understood her confusion.

"What? You thought you were meeting the owner of a club and you come here to find a bartender? We're one in the same babe." He reached around to his back pocket, noticing some erratic movement in the corner of the bistro. As he withdrew his wallet, he looked over in the corner to see the same Latina from the night before trying in vain to hide behind a menu. He chuckled, and handed one of his business cards to Rachel.

Rachel stared down at the card. It was a business card from the club. The writing on the card clearly said Noah Puckerman/Mike Chang: owners. She looked back up at Puck and handed the card back to him.

"You do realize that doesn't prove anything. I'm sure you have access to these cards." Puck just sighed, and wondered for a second why he was even bothering to prove himself to this small woman in front of him. But then, memories of the dance they'd shared flooded his mind and he deftly pulled his driver's license out of its slot as well.

"What about this?" He watched her eyes as she read over the plastic and let out a breath. He smirked at her when she handed it back to him, almost seeming embarrassed at having doubted him. She jumped a little when her drink was set on the counter and turned towards the waiter. "So listen, if you'd like to, you could join me and go through that little thing. Just to make sure it's all there." A quick glance to the corner once more and he added, "you can call your bodyguard off. I'm not gonna try anything."

Rachel turned around and glared at Santana. She was supposed to keep a low profile. Screw that idea apparently. When she turned back to Puck, she smiled at him.

"Where are you sitting?" Puck led her back over to the table he'd been sitting at beforehand and sat down. She sat down across from him and noticed that he was looking warily behind her. He leaned across the table and whispered,

"I don't think your girlfriend likes me very much." Rachel laughed, and he liked the sound a little too much. She looked over her shoulder and then looked back at him.

"Santana is my roommate. She's a little overprotective of me, but not a girlfriend. She did meet someone last night though, so there's no telling with her." Puck chuckled and motioned towards the little bag sitting between them on the table.

"Are you gonna look through it or do you trust me now?" Rachel shot him a kittenish grin and reached for the purse. "Ouch, that hurts." She laughed at his pained expression and emptied the contents of her purse onto the tabletop. She immediately grabbed her phone and opened it, relieved to see that she only had two missed calls from her fathers and few unimportant text messages. She could easily see that everything else was there so she started to gather it back up and stuff it all back inside the purse, leaving her phone on the table next to her. She looked up to see Noah staring at her intently.

"What?" She watched as he shook his head and sat back in his chair.

"I'm sorry, you just look so familiar." Rachel laughed and replied,

"Well, we did dance last night." He shot her a look that clearly said he thought she was being a smartass, maybe she was.

"I meant other than last night. I know I've seen you someplace before. I just can't pin it down." Just then, Rachel gathered her hair at the nape of her neck and draped it over her shoulder in a twist. Seeing her hair like that, it hit him like a semi. "Holy shit! You're Belle!" Rachel sat back in her chair, somewhat awestruck at his statement.

"Um, _Beauty & the Beast_ was quite early in my career, but yes, I was Belle. Should I take your outburst as a compliment or censure?" Noah leaned forward in his chair smiling and nodding his head.

"Compliment definitely! Whenever my mother and sister come to the city, I take them to see a musical because they're kinda crazy about them. You were amazing. God, I feel like an idiot now for not recognizing you last night." Rachel laughed at him but smiled internally at his praise.

"You should feel like an idiot. I'm famous." His incredulous look in response had her cracking up. "I'm kidding! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you." Puck looked at her for a second after he recovered and chuckled. She was pretty fucking cool, he had to admit.

"My sister flipped out after it was over. She dragged me backstage to get your autograph actually but we never found you. Kinda like last night actually. You just disappeared." Rachel crossed her arms and arched a brow at the man in front of her.

"I don't recall your presence afterwards either. I think I may have seen you outside when we were leaving but I'm not certain." Her eyebrow rose even higher when Puck started laughing and shaking his head.

"Do you always talk like that?" Amused, Rachel cocked her head to the side and replied,

"Like what?" Puck thought for a second, trying to figure out a way to not sound like a moron but not sound like a complete ass at the same time.

"Like you're Jane Austen incarnate." Rachel started laughing out loud when he said that so he figured he was safe. She leaned forward and lowered her voice so that only he could hear her reply.

"How do you know that I'm not?" The lilt in her voice was sultry, sexy but he hid his fascination behind a smirk and leaned in so that he was inches from her face.

"Because I seriously doubt that Jane Austen would have danced like you did last night." Rachel felt the blush creeping across her face and neck at the way his voice curled around in the air surrounding them. She cleared her throat and sat back in her chair, shrugging her shoulders in the process.

"To answer your question, I do tend to use excessive language at times but a good vocabulary is a sign of intelligence so I feel no need to apologize for it." Puck laughed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Are you calling me stupid?" Her smirk was sinister and surprising as she shrugged absently.

"If the dunce hat fits…" Puck had to laugh again as she trailed off. She was quick and didn't seem to have on off button. He kinda liked that. He held his hands up in surrender.

"Touché." At that moment, the waiter came over to take their order. When he'd walked away, Puck looked back at Rachel. "So, what else have you been in?" Rachel appeared to be thinking for a second, which made Puck wonder just how massive was this woman's career and should he be embarrassed for not knowing it.

"The first play I was in on Broadway was Mama Mia. After that was Hairspray, Beauty & the Beast, Jersey Boys, Rent, Wicked, and I had an audition yesterday for the role of Maria in the revival of West Side Story." Puck sat up a little straighter. She was obviously trying not to sound boastful about her accomplishments but shit, he knew enough about Broadway (shut up! Living in New York, that kind of knowledge comes with the territory) to know that all of the musicals she'd just named off were pretty big deals. The smile on her face brought him to his next question.

"So I'm gonna assume that you got the part since you can't stop smiling right now." Rachel quickly nodded her head.

"It's been my dream role since I was a little girl. Natalie Wood was Jewish so I've always felt like I had a personal connection to her and the character by extension. That was actually why Santana and I went to the club last night. We were celebrating my getting the role." Puck smiled and nodded his head. She _was_ Jewish!

"Congratulations are in order then." He tipped his glass to her and watched as she did the same. "Gotta say, I'm glad you chose my place to celebrate. Certainly made my night more interesting." He couldn't help smirking at her as he remembered their dance in vivid detail. Somehow, he just knew she was doing the same. Suddenly her eyes brightened a little and he cocked his head to the side as she began speaking.

"Speaking of 'your' place, can I ask you a question about the name?" He grinned and nodded his head for her to continue, knowing that this specific topic of conversation came up quite a bit. "Is the name from _Repo! The Genetic Opera_?" Puck nearly spit his drink out, stunned that this Broadway diva who'd just boasted being part of musicals like Rent and Wicked even knew Repo at all.

"You've seen Repo," he questioned, an eyebrow raised. Rachel just smiled back at him and laughed.

"Which one? The first time I saw it was when it was still a stage production and I actually met Terrance Zdunich. Santana and I had a photo taken with him and we got his autograph. When the movie came out, I was first in line to buy it. It was amazing. I've always wondered if the club name was taken from there." This woman just kept blowing his mind with every word she spoke! "'Chase the Morning' is probably my second favorite song." The way she left the statement hanging in the air was kind of maddening. He had no choice but to ask,

"What's your first favorite?" She watched as he leaned in closer waiting for her answer. She'd surprised him, that much was certain. Rachel found that she rather liked that she could surprise this man.

"'Zydrate Anatomy' is probably my favorite. It's very," she paused, trying to find the words that she somehow knew would drive this man crazy. Why she was trying to drive him crazy, she didn't have a damn clue. "It's very raw. The energy of the song is exceptionally seductive. It fits that it's talking about an addiction." She smirked at the way his tongue darted across his lips and his hand that had been laying on the tabletop was now clinched into a fist.

Puck shifted in his seat. He was painfully aware of the effect her words had over him. Shifting slightly in his seat, he decided he needed to direct this conversation away from the present topic, before her voice talking about songs being seductive caused him to blow his load.

"So, where did you learn how to dance like that? You had my entire club drooling within a matter of beats, not to mention you caught my attention." She quirked her eyebrow at him and smiled a deceptive grin.

"That doesn't strike me as a particularly difficult thing to do." His mouth hung open for a second before she continued, a wistful look in her eyes. "I've been performing for as long as I can remember. My fathers were very supportive of my dreams so they enrolled me in dance classes, vocal lessons, community theatre, the works. But, when Santana and I first moved here, right after I got my first leading role on Broadway, she was trying to loosen me up a little. So she signed us both up for a pole dancing class." For the second time since sitting down with Rachel, Puck's eyes bugged out of his head and he almost spit out his drink. He quickly attempted to hide his deepened fascination but it was useless.

"So, what? Were you pretending I was a pole last night?" When she blushed profusely, he smiled smugly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I wouldn't put it like that exactly. You're much more muscular than any pole I've ever seen. Besides, I've never seen a pole quite so, responsive." He wanted to laugh at her sneaky double entendre but he groaned instead. She smiled innocently at him.

"You're kind of a tease, you know that?" She laughed, which confused him.

"Haven't been called that one. I guess after a lifetime with Santana, something was bound to rub off." He groaned again and leaned forward in his chair. He could remember seeing her dance with her friend just as vividly as he remembered the dance they'd shared.

"You're messing with me. That's not nice." Rachel laughed again and smirked at him. "I even returned your purse for you and this is the thanks I get." Rachel softened at his tone, even knowing full well he was playing. She placed her hand on top of the table and leaned in slightly closer.

"I can't tell you how much it means to me that you returned it. I'm just happy that I left my iPod at home last night because I probably would've turned over every cab in New York over looking for it, not to mention the damage that would've been caused to our apartment. Thank you, really." Puck couldn't help smiling at her but he could definitely think of other ways she could _thank_ him in which they'd both be grateful. She seemed to catch the directions his thoughts were headed, or maybe she'd intended for them to go there (he couldn't be sure with her), but she grinned at him.

"Don't worry about it. So, what are your plans for tonight?" Puck shook his head a little as the word vomit erupted from his lips. _What the fuck was that Puckerman?_

"That depends I suppose," was her reply. _Rachel, what are you doing? You don't even know this man. But he did return your purse and that was very thoughtful. It doesn't matter. One dance with a stranger does not require you to see him again. You don't need to start something with someone when you're so close to starting a new show. But he would help pass the time and Santana is always telling me to loosen up. I bet he would know all sorts of ways to loosen a girl up. Get a grip Rachel. What is wrong with you?_

Puck noticed she got a little spacey after she responded. He figured she was having some sort of internal monologue or some shit. Most actors and actresses were like that. He chose to believe she was having dirty thoughts about him. He noticed the time had gotten away from him a little bit and waved his hand in front of her face with a grin.

"You still in there," he questioned with a smirk. She blinked and shook her head, an embarrassed smile on her face. He decided not to say anything about it, at least not until he knew his way around her buttons a little more. And that shit, was definitely happening! "Anyway, you should come by the club tonight." She laughed and it still confused the hell out of him. Why the hell was she laughing? That had been a genuine invitation, not many girls received _anything_ like that.

"Are you planning on running off on me again, _Mr._ _Puckerman_?" Her voice was all coy and he almost couldn't take it. He figured if she was gonna be all sexy and kittenish, he could throw it right back.

"Trust me, _Miss Berry_, had a fight not broken out outside last night that required my attention, you would've left your purse at my apartment instead of my club." Stunned by his implication, but unable to find herself offended (believe me, she tried!), Rachel let out a breath. Puck saw how flustered she got, but she hid it well. She was a very talented actress after all. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. Puck was fully expecting a small tirade for his obvious assumption that they would've slept together, (except it wasn't an assumption because he knew for a fact that he could've had her screaming his name in the cab ride back to his place but whatever), but she just met his eyes and replied,

"Be that as it may, if my night happens to lead me in the direction of your establishment, I'll go with it. But don't count on it. Just because I _can_ dance by myself doesn't mean that I prefer it." Again with the double entendres! This woman was maddening! With his smirk firmly in place, Puck stood up and walked around the table. He leaned down and spoke directly into her ear.

"Anytime you need a _dance_ partner, feel free to call me." Rachel tried her damndest to ignore the way his breath felt on her neck, the gravelly and seductive sound of his voice. But most of all, she tried to ignore the bolt of heat that shot straight from her neck, where his lips remained painfully close, to her center resulting in a pool of moisture that had her quickly crossing her legs. She could practically feel his smirk against her skin, which was ridiculous because he wasn't even touching her! Suddenly, he pulled away from her and stood up straight. Rachel turned her head and looked up at him. He _was_ smirking! She composed herself quickly and stared into his eyes, figuring that she had nothing to lose now.

"Exactly how am I supposed to do that without a number Mr. Puckerman?" Rachel smiled coyly up at him only to find it returned right back to her. It was kind of infuriating.

"I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. I'll see you tonight." She wanted to reprimand him for his cockiness. She never said that she'd be going to the club. Technically, she didn't say that she wouldn't be going to the club, but it was the principle of the thing. The way he just assumed she would show up made her not want to go just to spite him. But then she remembered the dance, that fucking dance, and knew that there was no way in hell she'd be able to stay away from him for long. He fixed her with another smirk and started walking towards the door. Rachel turned and watched as he walked up to the counter, paid the tab for the food that hadn't arrived yet, and waved cheekily to Santana just before he walked out onto the sidewalk.

Rachel didn't even notice Santana stand up from her corner booth and walk over to her until she was standing next to waving her hand in front of her face.

"Rach, Rach, snap out of it. He's hot but, damn, you look like Barbara and Patti Lupone just gave you your tenth Tony award. What's with you? What did he say? Did he do something? Do I have to kick his ass because that's seriously gonna chip my manicure?" Rachel shook herself out of her reverie and stared back at Santana as she sat down across from her. Before she knew it, the words were spilling from her mouth.

"San, do you think we could go back to Chase the Morning tonight?"

**

* * *

**

Puck walked into his office feeling pretty proud of himself. He opened the filing cabinet against the wall and placed the newest DJ contract in the correct slot as he heard his door open. He was greeted by Mike's insane laughter which could only mean one thing, Tina was in town.

Tina Cohen-Chang was Mike's cousin but she was a lot closer to a sister. She'd come out to her parents while they were in high school, a move that both Puck and Mike tried to convince her not to do until they'd all graduated. Her parents were kind of weirdly conservative in that they let Tina dress how she wanted as long as she dated who they wanted. Needless to say, they had no interest in letting Tina date girls. When Tina came out as bisexual to her parents the summer before their senior year, they kicked her out. Mike's parents took her in and the three of them, Mike, Puck, & Tina, were inseparable. Mike and Puck loved Tina like a sister and they actually went to her for girl advice throughout high school. Of course, if you ask them, they'd lie about that but whatever. After graduation, Tina took off to San Francisco while Mike and Puck took off to New York. She usually visited them for about a month every year so the three of them could catch up.

"Puck! I missed you! Got anyone pregnant yet?" Puck laughed at the eccentric Asian woman in front of him and hugged her tight.

"That shit's not funny. So how long you here for this time?" Tina pulled back almost like she was afraid to say whatever it was, which hadn't been a problem for her since the third grade.

"Um, well, the thing is, I'm not going back to California. I got a little bored out there, so far away from my best boys. I was here last night and I was gonna tell you two then but then something happened outside I guess and I couldn't find you guys. I called Mike this morning. I'm gonna stay with him until I can find a place of my own." Puck looked from Mike to Tina and then back again.

"So wait, you're staying? In New York? You're gonna be living here, permanently?" Mike walked around and stood beside Puck. Tina nodded her head and coughed as Puck's arms went around her shoulders in another tight hug. "This is awesome Tina! What made you decided to move here? I know San Fran couldn't be that boring to make you wanna move. You love the land of fruits and nuts." That comment earned him a punch in the arm from both Asians.

"Well, I wasn't sure until last night. I'd already called my usual group and I was hanging out with them when this woman came up to me. I started talking to her and we just clicked. I want to get to know her." Puck stared at her for a second before shaking his head.

"So wait a second, you just decided to pick up and move three thousand miles for a girl you just met last night? That's insane, even for you." Tina laughed and shook her head.

"No, that's not my entire reason. I'd already decided to come here, but Santana just kind affirmed the fact that I need to be in New York right now, not California." Puck did a double take and cut Tina off before she could keep going.

"Wait, whoa, did you just say Santana? Hot Latin chick with a tiny Broadway diva best friend?" Tina cocked her head to the side and stared at Puck.

"She had a friend with her named Rachel, she was really sweet when I met her last night. She seemed a little distracted all night but they never said anything about Broadway. Do you know her?" Mike started laughing at that point.

"Speaking of which," he started, "how was your meeting with Rachel this morning? I trust you had fun." Puck chose to ignore his friend's snide tone. Tina laughed out loud, clutching her corseted stomach.

"Hold the phone, you mean Puck, biggest man-whore I've ever known, saw a girl two times in a row. Rachel must be something." Puck glared at the two in front of him and said,

"Shut up! I danced with her last night and this moron over here thought it'd be funny to play matchmaker and steal her purse. I met her this morning to return it to her." Tina looked at him skeptically. He wasn't fooling her. She'd known him almost as long as Mike had known him and she could tell there was something different about him, a light in his usual brooding eyes. This Rachel had done something to him, and if her distracted appearance during their brief meeting the night before, Puck had done something to her as well. She quickly shared a look with Mike, and knew he was thinking the same thing as her. "She's pretty fucking amazing. Remember when I took my mom and Rebecca to see Beauty & the Beast that one time a few years ago? Rachel was Belle! And apparently she's been in a shitload of other musicals since then. She told me this morning that she just found out she got the part of Maria in West Side Story. And she's Jewish!" Tina and Mike gasped at that.

"Does your mother know," Tina questioned. "Oh god, I can already hear wedding bells. Please let me tell her! I'm begging you Puck, you gotta let me tell your mom you're dating a Jewish Broadway diva. She'll probably put me in her damn will. Let me tell her!" Puck shook his head and groaned.

"Tina shut the fuck up! You're not telling my mom a damn thing. And I'm not dating Rachel. I've seen her twice so far." Tina tapped her chin thoughtfully and smirked.

"So far? So that means you intend on seeing her again. The old Puck would've already pounded her into the mattress and told her to hit the pavement by now." Puck ran his hands over his head and chuckled darkly.

"Thanks for making me sound like a complete douchebag Tina." Tina just shrugged.

"I only speak the truth Puck. So anyway, since I'll be here for a while, looks like we're gonna be doing our famous early morning breakfasts a lot more often now." Puck smiled at that. Every time Tina came to town, the three friends would eat breakfast together after the club closed for the night. They'd shared a few four o'clock in the morning breakfasts over the years and always had more fun together than should be legal. Between the three of them, Puck's crazy Jewish mother, Mike's crazy Asian parents, and Tina's crazy Asian-Jewish melting pot, they always had plenty to talk and laugh about.

"We always look forward to those T." Tina smiled at him and turned to leave but just before she got to the door she turned around.

"I just have one request Puck." Puck rolled his eyes.

"I'm not telling you again Tina. We're not hosting that Torture Garden thing you keep bugging us about. Not everyone is into all that freaky sex stuff that you are." Tina and Mike started laughing as she shook her head.

"Puck, I haven't bugged you guys about that in at least a month or two. I think I've accepted that you guys aren't as open minded about sexuality as you claim to be. Besides, the Torture Garden in Canada is a lot closer to New York than San Fran, so I'll just hop the border one weekend and go by myself. Anyway, I was going to request that you not be yourself with this girl. You're great for one-night stands because it doesn't require the girl to know you. As relationships go however, you kind of suck, and not in the fun way. Don't be an ass and let this one get away. I can already see something there." And before Puck had a chance to respond, she was out the door with Mike on her heals. Puck groaned out load and slumped down in his chair.

Mike caught Tina in the hallway and grabbed her elbow to stop her.

"So, you see what I mean?" Tina nodded her head with a smile.

"He's completely taken with her. Just the fact that he hasn't slept with her is saying something. I was gonna call Santana later and ask if she wanted to hang out tonight. I'll see if she'll be up for helping us out. That purse thing was pretty good, I gotta give it to you on that one. But we're gonna have to bring out the big guns if we wanna break through that stupid front he puts up all the damn time." Mike smiled at his cousin, knowing he'd picked the right partner in crime.

"Good to see you again T. I missed you and your scheming brain."

* * *

**a/n 2: follow me on twitter! i'm musicconsumes over there so follow me please. give me a shout out if you do and i'll follow you back! thanks for the love and support, it means the world. oh yeah...REVIEW! PLEASE**


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: holy hand grenades batman! you guys are amazing! i still can't believe the response to this story! i'm so blown away by your reviews, the amount of support you guys have been showing me with this story absolutely blows my mind away. your reviews for last chapter more than doubled the original number for the first chapter and that makes me so happy. i'm currently writing chapter four so it may be a little bit longer before my next update but i promise, since the first smuckleberry of this story is happening in that chapter, it's gonna be worth the wait. i hope you enjoy this chapter and kick ass in the reviews as you've done all along because they make my whole world go around lately. this chapter is dedicated to bloodyblonde because her reviews always make me smile. thank you guys so much and i hope you enjoy and continue to review! don't own glee or 'naughty girl'...so sad. oh well, read review and enjoy! love you guys so much! Meagan (musicconsumes)**

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"Okay, seriously Rach, what's going on? You've never gone to clubs two nights in a row, much less the _same_ club two nights in a row." Santana was watching as her friend was running around her room with a stupid smile on her face, flinging clothes everywhere. The only time she could ever remember seeing Rachel like this was in high school.

"I just want to go San, what's the big deal?" Santana quickly stepped into the room and grabbed Rachel by the shoulders.

"The big deal is that you've had this goofy grin on your face since that Puckerman guy left the Village this morning. And you still won't tell me what you guys actually talked about so forgive me if your sudden interest in revisiting this club is throwing me off a little bit." Rachel huffed and sat down on her bed.

"You really wanna know what we talked about?" Santana crossed her arms and nodded her head. "Absolutely nothing. We talked about the name of his club, the plays I've been in, he made a few crude comments about us sleeping together, and then he invited me back tonight." Santana was sure she was hearing things. Rachel didn't even skip a beat when she talked about the guy and her sleeping together, which wasn't like her at all. Rachel was a relationship girl, not a fling girl.

"So, are you planning on fucking him?" Santana knew she'd said the wrong thing but she meant to. This Rachel in front of her was freaking her out and not acting at all like Rachel Berry should act. She needed a Rachel Berry reaction, and the one way she knew to get that was with what she'd just asked.

"Santana Lopez!" She smiled at the reaction she got. That was the Rachel she knew and loved. She threw her hands up in the air and backed up a step.

"Hey! I'm not saying it's a bad idea. I'm just trying to feel you out here. If you guys didn't talk that much, and half of what you did talk about was stuff that usually has you slapping people, I don't really understand why you're so gung-ho about seeing him again. He's hot, I get that much. It's just weird seeing you like this." Before Rachel could respond, they both heard her cell phone start ringing in the other room. Santana exhaled and fixed Rachel with a stern look. "We're not done yet."

Santana quickly found her phone and looked at it, not recognizing the number.

"Hello?"

"Santana, hey this is Tina from last night. I'm not sure if you remember me but," Santana covered the receiver with her hand and squealed out loud.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I remember you. Um, what's going on?" She heard Tina laugh lightly before responding.

"Well, I don't usually do this so soon, but I was interested in seeing you again. So what do you think?" Santana smiled to herself and felt like giggling. She hadn't felt like this about anyone since her first long-term girlfriend back in college.

"Um, yeah that sounds great. When should we meet?" Tina seemed to fumble over her words for a second before Santana heard her draw in a deep breath.

"Okay, the thing is, please don't be mad about this and just let me explain okay?" Santana was suddenly very apprehensive about listening to whatever Tina had to say. But she really liked her a lot, and they'd really clicked the night before so she figured she didn't have much to lose by hearing her out.

"Go ahead."

"Alright, my friends own Chase the Morning and apparently one of them, his name is Puck, danced with Rachel last night." Santana laughed as she remembered how smitten Rachel seemed to be over the guy. "My cousin, the other owner, well we think he really likes her but we need to get them together again. Do you think you could get Rachel to the club again tonight?" Santana ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled.

"I don't think that would be too hard." She could hear Rachel in the other room as she'd started going through her closet again.

"Great, so I'll see you tonight I guess. And Santana?" Santana brought the phone back to her ear just before she hung up.

"Yeah?"

"I know this sounds like I'm just using you to get to Rachel, but I promise you I'm not. I really like you, and I was planning on calling you before I talked to Puck this morning. I just wanted you to know that okay?" Santana felt like there were butterflies in her stomach and she didn't completely hate the feeling.

"Thanks." With that she hung up the phone and walked slowly back to Rachel's room and sat down on her bed.

"Who was that San," Rachel asked when she realized Santana had reentered the room. Santana looked up with a happy smile on her face as she remembered Tina's last few words over the phone. Not bothering to answer, she replied,

"Looks like we're going to Chase the Morning tonight."

**

* * *

**

Tina met Santana and Rachel outside the club that night. She was minus the group she'd had the night before, standing by herself on the sidewalk when the cab pulled up. Santana got out of the car and held the door for Rachel. The three women stood there for a second before Tina took a step towards Santana and inhaled deeply.

"Look Santana, I really want to apologize for earlier today. What I said was really rude and I know that if someone did something like that to me, I'd be really pissed. And I just don't want you to be mad at me because I do like you and I want to get to know you. So, I'm going to do something and I'm really kind of hoping that it'll make you forget about our conversation this morning."

Before Santana could respond, Tina cupped her face in her hands and drew her closer. As her darkened lips pressed against Santana's and her gloved fingers fisted themselves in her hair, Rachel looked on, more confused than ever. The kiss didn't confuse her at all. That was something she saw all the time with Santana. What puzzled her was Tina's little speech before the Asian woman locked lips with her best friend. What the hell was she talking about? That morning when Santana got off the phone, she hadn't seemed offended at all by whatever conversation she and Tina had had. Granted, she wouldn't tell Rachel what she and Tina had talked about, except for the fact that she became very adamant about returning to the club. The only reason Rachel didn't question her change of heart was the fact that she really wanted to see Noah again.

When Rachel's thoughts were interrupted by catcalls, she realized that Tina and Santana were still making out. With a giggle, she cleared her throat and touched Santana's shoulder. The two women broke apart with shy smiles to each other and faced Rachel.

"So, I suppose you two are okay now? Though, I'm not certain there was anything amiss in the first place." Santana and Tina started laughing and Tina nudged Santana's arm.

"Does she always talk like that," she stage-whispered. Santana just nodded her head and laughed at Rachel's huff of indignation. Tina just giggled and linked her arm through Rachel's and Santana's and started pulling them towards the door. When they walked up to the door, Tina waved to the bouncer as he stepped aside and pushed the door open for them.

Tina led them through the crowd of people towards the back of the club, to the door that led upstairs where the offices were located. Rachel and Santana shared a puzzled look, not really sure where the gothic beauty was taking them but unwilling to question her for some reason. They'd just turned a corner and were headed down a short hallway when Rachel finally spoke up.

"Tina, where are we going? Why aren't we downstairs in the club?"

Tina simply replied, "Puck and Mike aren't downstairs yet," and continued walking. Rachel followed her, trying to figure out who the hell Puck was. She wanted to see Noah.

A few more feet and Tina opened a door.

Puck heard his door open and looked up from his conversation with Mike. He let his eyes wander over the joined hands between Tina and Santana. So Tina was pretty serious about this one. _Good for her,_ he thought. But then, he saw Rachel. She was wearing a tank top that clung to her curves like a second skin and a girly skirt that left very little to the imagination. His fingers itched to touch her lips to his, just to see if they were as soft as they looked. She stepped further into the room and the way her legs moved, lithe and fluid in a pair of fuck-me heels, gave him an almost uncontrollable desire to screw her into the desktop. Tina stepped forward and hugged Mike before turning back to face Rachel and Santana.

"Santana, Rachel, this is my cousin Mike. I guess you two already know Puck." Rachel smiled and stepped forward to shake Mike's hand. He smiled at her as she turned towards Puck.

"Puck? Nickname, I assume." Puck nodded his head and flashed his trademark smirk at her, knowing what was coming next from his friends. Mike and Tina started laughing.

"He's gone by that since we were in second grade," Mike started. "Got into his first fight over it. Kids at school kept asking him where his big boat was." Rachel laughed at the childish 'Noah's Ark' reference but her gaze never strayed from Puck's.

"I think I prefer Noah, if you don't mind of course." Puck didn't move for a second. Generally, the only people who ever called him Noah were his mom and his sister, and other assorted family members. But something about hearing his name, instead of his nickname, coming from her lips made him smile just a little inside. He'd never admit to such a pussy thing out loud but yeah, he was smiling inside. He felt a little manlier when the thought of how his name being screamed from her lips would sound passed through his mind.

He didn't notice the way his two friends had held their breath when she mentioned calling him Noah.

"No, I don't think I'd mind." The two shared a look that nobody in the room missed. Finally, Mike cleared his throat and announced that he needed to dance before his legs fell off from lack of blood circulation. Santana reached out for Tina's hand and pulled her out of the office. Mike followed them a second later, leaving Rachel and Puck in the office. Rachel let out a small chuckle and turned her head back to Puck.

"I think you owe me a dance Puck." Puck's eyebrows rose and he shook his head as he walked around the desk.

"_A_ dance," he questioned. "You're crazy if you think you're dancing with anybody else tonight babe. And what was that 'puck' shit?" Rachel shrugged a shoulder and smirked at him.

"Just thought I'd try it out. I definitely like Noah better. And, are you always so possessive over things that aren't yours?" Puck raised his eyebrow, acknowledging her challenge with a crooked grin.

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?" Puck reached down and took her hand in his to pull her out of the office.

Once they'd all made it downstairs, Mike went to the bar and got beers for the group. Free alcohol was definitely a plus to owning a club! He noticed how Puck was standing close behind Rachel, really close, with his head kind of angled down towards her ear. He was kind of curious as to what his friend was telling the beautiful brunette, and also kind of worried that he was going to screw up by saying something stupid. But, judging by the little smile on Rachel's face, Puck wasn't screwing up too bad.

"You know, I was wondering something," Puck whispered. Rachel turned her head slightly, just enough to meet his already heated gaze, and nodded for him to continue. "The way you danced last night, was that a one-time performance or do I get an encore?" Rachel could feel the hand that wasn't holding his beer on her hip. When she turned her body to face him, his hand just slid around her back and held her firmly to his body.

"That depends." His questioning eyebrow arched and she couldn't help laughing.

"On what exactly?" She smiled up at him and took a slow pull from her beer, effectively driving Puck just a little bit crazier.

"Well, the _only_ thing that can demand an encore is a _standing_ ovation. Think you're up for it?" Puck growled low in his throat at the challenging sultry lilt her voice suddenly took on. He chuckled darkly and leaned even closer to her, to whisper in her ear once more.

"Babe, I've been standing at _attention_ since last night because of you. Trust me, I'm totally _up_ for it." Rachel couldn't believe the words that had just left his lips. What she could believe however, was the intense coiling heat at the apex of her thighs in response to them. She needed his body against hers. And suddenly, Rachel heard the beginnings of the exact type of song she needed at precisely that moment. _"Oh, love to love you baby."_

Puck watched, hopelessly entranced with the sway of her hips, as she led him out to the dancefloor. There was something about "Naughty Girl" that seemed to lower a woman's inhibitions better than any alcohol and it seemed as though Rachel was no exception. She didn't take his hand when she walked away, just expected him to follow her. As if he wouldn't! But then, as she rose her arms above her body making her tank top ride up just enough to show a delicious ribbon of golden skin, Puck noticed the other men taking notice of her. He quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. With a gentle tug, she spun into his arms and looked up into his eyes, alarm written all over her face until she realized just whose arms she'd landed in. He chuckled and moved against her.

In two beats, they were in sync with each other. Like the night before, his hand rested comfortably high on her thigh whenever her back was to him. But when he had her turned around and her arms were snaked around his neck, his fingers just couldn't seem to find solace on the small of her back. He drifted down and cupped her ass in his hands, gently at first. She noticed the change immediately and looked up with a smile in her eyes. He smirked and gripped her tighter which only seemed to spur on her sultry movements. It was impossible not to be turned on by this woman! It seemed like everything she did was meticulously designed to drive him completely insane, but he was really loving insanity! The second she felt his hands on her backside, Rachel wanted to leave. Go back to her apartment, his place, hell even his office! She relished in the feel of his hands on her body, just knowing that this man and his hands would be her undoing. But she couldn't find it within herself to give a shit. Anything that felt this good couldn't possibly be anything but right.

When the song came to its end and morphed into the next, he didn't let go of her. They stayed like that for the rest of the night. Even when the rest of their group joined them on the floor, their bodies remained touching in some way. She kept her back firmly against his chest with her head leaning back on his shoulder while his strong arms encircled her waist, possessively. If she moved slightly away from him for some reason, their hands automatically found each other. Towards the end of the night, when the crowd was dwindling down and the club was getting ready to call it a night, they'd all gathered once more at the bar. Despite the fact that they were no longer on the dancefloor, Puck and Rachel continued to sway slowly to the beat.

Mike found it completely hilarious that Puck seemed totally oblivious to the fact that he'd pretty much handed Rachel his balls over the course of a few dances. But seeing the way that Puck's head kind of leaned against Rachel's, that stupid happy lazy smile on his face that he hadn't seen in a long time, he kind of liked Eunuch Puck.

Tina remained stunned at the fact that Puck hadn't let his eyes or hands stray from Rachel all night long. The Puck she knew, the childhood friend and hopeless man-whore, would not have danced with one woman all night. Puck rarely did anything with one woman for very long. She watched as someone walked a little too close for Puck's comfort apparently and his arms tightened around Rachel's midsection as he shifted her body away from the person. It looked protective and possessive all at once, like a mix between "don't touch my shit because I don't share" (which she knew all too well with Puck) and "she's mine so don't even think about hurting her".

Santana could see the content smile on Rachel's face. Usually, the only time she saw it was when Rachel appeared from her bedroom after the distinct sounds of a vibrator had been heard. Santana wondered for a second, if this Puck guy could get Rachel to smile like that after just a dance, what would her face look like once they had sex? Santana had a sixth sense when it came to sex. She just knew when people had done it, were going to do it, or were even thinking about it. Rachel and Puck were both giving off 'fuck me' vibes in waves, directed at each other. The crude bitch in her wanted to yell at them to just fuck already, but the caring friend that Rachel brought out of her made her keep her mouth shut. They would have sex, she knew that much. And she became determined to help it along however she could.

It had been decided earlier in the night that Rachel and Santana would be joining Mike, Puck, and Tina for breakfast. As Mike used his keys to lock the back door, the rest of the group was waiting for him out front. The 24 hour diner that the three friends usually went to was just right around the block from the club, comfortable walking distance, even in stilettos which, for some reason the guys didn't understand why the hell anyone would want to wear those things. They looked painful as all hell. Puck didn't have his arm around Rachel's shoulders when Mike finally made it back around to the front of the club. But he suspected it was because the three girls were huddled together for some reason, while Puck was standing a few feet away with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Dude, what's up with this," Mike questioned, gesturing to the fact that Puck was standing by himself instead of glued to Rachel. Puck just chuckled.

"Vagina loyalty's my best guess. They're chicks man, when are you gonna learn to accept that they're all crazy?" At that moment, all three women turned around, all sporting half-glares directed at the men leaning against the wall.

"_Excuse_ me Puck," Tina exclaimed, "I beg to differ with that assumption." Puck just scoffed at his friend and stepped forward.

"Says the woman wearing a corset, a tutu, and knee-high stiletto boots with more buckles than an Amish family. Oh yeah, you're completely sane T." Mike started laughing and Puck just continued. "How long does it take you to get dressed anyway?" This was their thing it seemed, playful insults at each other. Mike kept laughing while Santana and Rachel looked on in puzzled amusement.

Tina just smiled sweetly up at Puck and placed her hand on his shoulder. When Puck saw her knee coming up, he flinched on instinct. (He'd pissed Tina off before enough to get kicked in the nads, and it left him a little gun-shy. Never mind the fact that she hadn't done anything like that since they were kids. That shit stays with a guy.) He let out a breath when she reached down to her boot and pulled on the zipper that ran down the side. She unzipped it about halfway and then zipped it back up. Then he watched as her hands drifted up the bodice of the blue corset she wore to a snap at the top, undoing the first two snaps quickly before popping them back in place. With a smirk on her face, she looked back at Puck and replied,

"It doesn't take me long at all Puck." She turned her gaze back to Santana and said, "easier to get out of too," her voice dripping suggestively.

Both Puck and Mike were stunned when Tina said that. She was somewhat promiscuous in her dress at times but they were used to that. But her insinuating that it was easy to get her clothes off was something that was very rare to hear from her. Santana seemed just as stunned as the guys were but Rachel, being completely used to comments of the sort from her friend and not knowing that Tina didn't usually make the same type of comments, just looked back sort of confused. When everyone was still standing there after a second, she said,

"I'm hungry." Because everyone was a bit tipsy, her comment made everyone start laughing. Puck stepped around Tina and walked over in front of Rachel. He couldn't help smiling down at her, with her cheeks flushed from the alcohol and her eyes bright under the street light. He noticed how they were a deep chocolate color, with little flecks of honey. And that thought pattern made him realize how hungry he was. He quickly turned around to face Tina, Mike, and Santana, who were all watching from the sidewalk.

"You heard the woman. Let's eat!" When they started walking, the other three started talking animatedly about some dance that they all knew about somehow. Puck and Rachel weren't saying anything but Puck noticed how Rachel was on the outside of the little line that they'd formed, closest to the street. Easy pickings for anyone just walking by wanting to do…something, anything. Puck really didn't like the idea of 'something' happening to Rachel so he slowed his steps just enough to fall behind them. He reached out and gently pushed Rachel over next to Santana and then fell back into step beside her. After just a second, his fingers itched once more to touch her. He remembered that she hadn't rejected any of his advances in the club so why should she start now. He draped his arm over her shoulder and tried to ignore the spark he felt as he did so.

Rachel really tried to ignore the weight of Puck's arm around her shoulder. She tried to ignore the way his body felt next to hers without the excuse of a crowded dancefloor and pounding music. Out in the street, with only the friendly banter of her new friends filling the air around them as they walked, she could smell him. He smelled, manly, for lack of a better word. There was a light undertone of sweat that wasn't entirely unpleasant. Mixed with that was a combination of something distinctly outdoorsy, like pine trees or freshly cut grass. But then, there was a scent over all of that that there was no name for. It had to be him, completely him. Rachel smiled at the smell. She'd gotten her first hint of it on the dancefloor, but at the time it had been tainted with the other bodies in the crowd. Now, out on the street in the crisp New York night air, he smelled amazing.

They stopped outside a little corner diner and Rachel looked up at the sign. 'Chocolate & Bacon', it had a nice ring to it. She could see in the windows that it was empty but open. Mike stepped forward and opened the door for them. Rachel felt Puck's hand on the small of her back as he ushered her inside after Tina and Santana.

"Hey Ethel!" Puck shouted into the empty diner. Suddenly a door swung open to reveal a tiny old woman with gray-blue hair wearing an apron. As soon as she saw the guys and Tina, her face lit up like a menorah. She waddled a little faster towards the group and pulled Tina into a hug.

"Oh deary," she yelled, "you've been gone too long. You better have a good stay this time." Before Tina could explain her new living plans, the old woman quickly let go of her and moved on to Mike. "And you young man, you promised to dance for me last time and you skirted out before you did. I won't be letting you get away with that stunt this time." Mike just chuckled and nodded his head. Ethel left no room for argument. She smiled at the Asian man and stepped over to where Puck was standing. "Puck," she said with her hands on her hips. "Still as handsome as ever. Get over here you rascal." Puck stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the smaller woman. When he pulled away, she grinned up at him before turning to face Rachel and Santana. "Oh sweet lord, you're Rachel Berry!" The little old woman practically squealed with delight and clapped her hands together before taking off back behind the counter. It sounded like she was rummaging around in a box or a drawer for a few seconds before she returned with papers clutched in her fingers. It took Rachel a second before she realized that the papers in the elderly woman's hands were playbills. "Would you mind too terribly dear," she asked as she pushed the playbills towards Rachel.

Rachel took them gingerly and quickly noted that there was a playbill from every show she'd ever been in on Broadway. She looked back up at the woman and smiled.

"Um, you want me to sign them?" Ethel nodded her head vehemently and gestured to one of the small circular tables for them to sit at. They all sat down and Rachel took the proffered pen from Ethel with a smile. Puck looked up at the elderly woman and grinned.

"Ethel, you never told us you liked Broadway." Ethel's eyes crinkled a little more with her smile as she responded.

"Well young man, you never asked. And I don't like Broadway. I just love seeing this little lady perform. I don't see a darn thing on a stage unless there's a guarantee she'll be there." She turned back to Rachel, who was just finishing up signing the playbills. "I just can't believe you're here in my little diner. This is such an honor. A talent like yours is a once in a lifetime occurrence." Suddenly, she took her order-taking notebook out of her apron pocket and hit Puck on the shoulder. "And you! You never told me _Rachel Berry_ was your girl. How could you not mention something like that?" At that, Rachel found herself giggling. She knew that the woman was wrong, neither Puck nor she had any claim on the other, but she just couldn't bring herself to correct her. Puck didn't seem to mind the woman's assumption, if the ever-present smirk on his face was any indication.

"Take it easy Ethel. We just met last night actually." Ethel's eyebrows rose with crystal skepticism, clearly not believing a word Puck said. She didn't respond to him but turned back to Rachel with a smile and took the playbills from the table.

"Thank you so much. I'm getting these framed and they're going up on the wall behind the counter." Suddenly, she noticed Santana sitting next to Tina and grinned. "I'm sorry dear. I bet you're Tina's aren't you? What's your name honey?" Santana just laughed as an unfamiliar blush crept onto her tan face.

"Santana, ma'am." Ethel just smiled between Santana and Tina.

"Well I'll be darned. You two are just too cute. Now Mike, when are you going to snag a little lady of your own?" Everyone started laughing at the stunned look on Mike's face that he'd been dragged into the conversation. He recovered quickly and chuckled.

"Now Ethel, you know I'm holding out for you. You're the only woman for me." He placed his hands on his heart and batted his eyelashes up at the woman. She just rolled her eyes and grinned.

"So, you three will have your usual. What about you girls? Do you need a menu?" Rachel and Santana shook their heads.

"Do you have blueberry pancakes," Santana questioned. Without answering, Ethel just wrote it down on her notepad and looked at Rachel.

"I could really use an omelet." Ethel smiled and tapped her pen against the paper.

"You want the works." It wasn't a question but Rachel couldn't deny that she really did want an omelet with everything. So she just nodded her head and watched as Ethel turned around and shuffled off towards the kitchen. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, finally noticing Puck's arm draped across the back of it. She wondered when he'd done that. Santana giggled lightly and said,

"I like her. She's really sweet." Everyone just nodded. A few seconds passed and suddenly, Mike drummed his hands on the table.

"Okay! Story time! How do you two know each other?" Mike pointed at Rachel and Santana. Santana smiled at him and replied,

"We grew up together." Rachel scoffed and bumped Santana's shoulder.

"Actually, my fathers and I moved to Ohio when I was really little. Santana's family was the only one in town that didn't shun us for my fathers being gay. They babysat me when my fathers had to go out of town on business, so I slept over at San's a lot. My dads actually helped Santana come out of the closet." Puck chuckled at that and leaned over a little closer to Rachel.

"So," he motioned to Santana, "what exactly are you anyway?" Mike kicked him under the table for being rude but it just made Puck yell, "What the fuck man? Tina's bi, I just wanna know." Rachel started laughing and he looked down at her and smirked.

"I'm bisexual," Santana answered, "but Rach says I'm greedy. I just know how to appreciate beauty in all its forms." Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I appreciate beauty too! I just choose not to sleep with everything I find beautiful." Everybody laughed but Puck just grinned and leaned a little closer, whispering in her ear just loud enough for everyone else to hear,

"Well that sucks for me." Rachel gave a small gasp at the feel of his breath on her neck for the umpteenth time that night. She still liked the feel of it. She turned and looked at him, finding the look of sexy mischief in his hazel eyes exciting. Before she could say anything in response, he continued. "So how in the hell did you end up in New York?" Rachel couldn't help smiling at the memory.

"Well, when we were ten, I told Santana that I was going to move to New York and take over Broadway. She told me that I was a wimp and would never last in New York, so she was gonna have to go with me to protect me. When I got a scholarship to Julliard, she applied to NYU for photography and got accepted. So we came to New York. The rest is history I guess." Rachel wanted to know more about Puck, but didn't want to seem like she wanted to know more about him. Luckily, Santana came to her rescue.

"Alright then, story time. Your turn! What's up with you guys?" Mike chuckled and took a deep breath, preparing to tell the story.

"Well, Tina's my cousin and Puck's been my best friend since forever. When we were in high school, Tina had to move in with my family, so we all got closer after that." Rachel glanced at Tina, noticing how her face fell slightly at the mention of living with Mike's family. She wanted to know what happened that caused that living situation to change but didn't want to broach an obviously uncomfortable subject, thus creating an awkward tense moment. Puck leaned towards the table slightly which made the arm that was still draped on the back of Rachel's chair brush against her back.

"Tina's parents kicked her out right before senior year started. We told her it was a bad idea to come out to them but she never listened to us." Tina lightly hit the table with the palm of her hand and rolled her eyes towards Puck.

"I was lying to myself Puck. And I was lying to my family. I couldn't stand it anymore." She shifted in her seat so that she could see both Rachel and Santana. There was an unmistakable bitterness in her tone as she continued. "It just so happened that my parents would've preferred me to lie. Mike's parents were pretty much the only members of our family that didn't treat me like a pariah once I came out. They took me in. Puck was always over at the house so they were both pretty much like brothers to me." Looking from Mike to Tina, Rachel finally noticed why the whole 'cousins' thing didn't seem right.

"But, wait a second," she started. "Correct me if I'm wrong but, Mike, aren't you Chinese? And Tina, you're Korean right? How are you two cousins?" Mike started laughing and nodded his head.

"You know what's really sad Rachel? You're the first person to realize that. Tina's dad died when we were like two. Her stepdad is my uncle." Rachel nodded in understanding and smiled. Santana gestured to everyone and asked,

"So how did you guys end up in New York?" Tina and Mike shared a look before he started in.

"After graduation, Tina took off to San Francisco—"

"To be with the other fruits and nuts," Puck interrupted, which earned him another kick in the shin from Mike.

"To go to school. Me and Puck both went to Columbia. I majored in dance and Puck majored in music." Rachel's eyes lit up and she turned to face Puck.

"You majored in music?" Puck smirked at her but didn't get a chance to reply because Mike just kept talking.

"He got a scholarship for guitar. You should hear this guy play." To say Rachel was even more intrigued by Noah than ever was an understatement. She suddenly wanted to see him play more than anything else. "We always joked about owning a club before we turned thirty, and Puck minored in business so we wouldn't be totally lost in the venture. Puck's dad died a few years after graduation and left him some money. We were both working at the time so we pooled our money and figured out that we could buy the building and then get loans for everything else." At that moment, Ethel came out of the kitchen with their plates.

"Here we are dearies," she announced as she sat each plate down in front of its owner. Then she looked down at the table and said, "Oh no, why didn't you kids tell me I forgot your drinks?" Puck and Mike both stood up and kissed the elderly woman on the cheeks.

"Don't worry about it," Mike replied. Puck just shrugged and said,

"Yeah, we got this Ethel. Shouldn't Ashley be here anyway to take over for breakfast?" Mike and Puck didn't wait for her answer but instead, walked right behind the counter and started fixing drinks for the group. Mike yelled back to them,

"Santana, Rachel, what do you guys want?" Rachel looked over at the boys behind the counter and grinned.

"Anything's good for me, thanks." Santana chuckled a little and said,

"Sprite for me." Mike nodded his head and went back to putting ice in glasses as Puck was filling them with the correct beverages. The girls looked back to Ethel as she sighed and said,

"Ashley called me earlier and said she would be a little late tonight. I just don't know what I'm going to do if she doesn't show up soon." By the time she finished talking, Puck and Mike were walking back over with the drinks in hand.

"So lock up," Mike suggested. "Nobody ever comes in when we're here anyway. And if you lose business, I'll pay you the difference. It'll be like we're renting the place out. You can go take a nap, we know where everything is and Ashley's got her keys to come in the back way anyway." Ethel looked at Mike as though he'd just handed her a million dollars.

"Oh you sweet beautiful boy!" She took his face in her hands and kissed him square on the forehead. "You would do that for me! Now tell me when our wedding is again?" Everyone started laughing and Mike just gently wrapped his arms around her.

"You gotta let me get the ring first. See, you're so tired you're doing everything out of order." Ethel laughed and walked off, saying something about young kids these days. Mike laughed and walked over to the door, flipping the lock and the 'OPEN' sign with one move. As he was walking back over to their table, Tina muttered,

"And I thought Puck had cougar issues." Both Rachel and Santana heard her and jerked their heads towards Puck, who'd just sat back down beside Rachel.

"Okay," Rachel said with a giggle. "This is a story I have to hear."

"Me too!" Santana added. Puck rolled his eyes at them, for once not really wanting to rehash his high school conquests. He knew that if he didn't say anything, Mike and Tina would tell the girls anyway so he figured he might as well bite the bullet.

"I had a pool cleaning business in high school. A lot of the clients were cougars. I guess you could call them 'desperate housewives' or whatever." Tina, deciding that he wasn't sharing enough, chose that moment to blurt out,

"Puck was sexed-up freak in high school! He had a new girl like every week. He told us once that the cougars were for when he got bored with teenage girls. The bad thing is, he's still a sexed-up freak." Puck couldn't really do anything but laugh. He couldn't really deny what Tina said, and he couldn't really be mad at her for spouting off the truth. But, the way it sounded coming from her, made him sound like a douche to his own ears. He reached out for his glass and saw Rachel laughing out of the corner of his eye. Once he'd taken a sip and set his glass back down on the table, he chuckled and said,

"Hey, it's not a crime to like sex. And it's not my fault I'm awesome at it either." At that point, Tina snorted some of her diet coke through her nose because she started laughing so hard, thus making everyone else start laughing too. When everybody started digging into their food, Puck leaned in and whispered in Rachel's ear, "I would rock your world babe." He saw her shiver and chuckled to himself. He wasn't expecting her to say anything back but Rachel just turned her head and smiled at him.

"I don't doubt that at all, _babe_." The sexy confidence that she exuded caused Puck to have to adjust himself. The power with which she spoke, while somehow managing to sound so sweet at the same time, was just as captivating as she was.

It was six in the morning when they finally decided it was time to leave. They'd all talked so much, it felt like they'd known each other for years. They got each other's jokes, they laughed at the stupid things the others would say and do. They really got to know each other and none of them could deny that it felt pretty amazing. Ashley had finally made it about an hour after Ethel had gone off to take a nap and left the group of new friends alone while she prepared the restaurant for the morning rush.

They were standing outside on the sidewalk when Santana leaned in towards Tina and kissed her soundly on the lips.

"Tina, would you like to go out with me tomorrow night, or I guess it would be tonight wouldn't it?" Tina looked a little stunned for a second while the guys and Rachel watched with happy amusement.

"I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to say no after a kiss like that. But yeah, I'd love to." When she heard Tina say yes, Rachel jumped a little and clapped her hands. Puck couldn't help laughing at her which only made her slap him on the chest. Instinctively, he grabbed her hand and held it against his body. He smirked down at her, watching as her eyebrow rose. Santana had already hailed a cab and was waiting for her so he gently walked her backwards towards the edge of the street. Just as she was about to fall off the curb, he reached around her waist and pulled her flush against his body.

"I called you first. Ball's in your court now." He leaned in and touched his lips to hers, applying the smallest amount of pressure. Before Rachel knew what was happening, Puck had lightly pushed her into the cab and shut the door. Rachel sat back in the cab, slowly coming out of the daze he'd put her in, little by little his words registering in her mind.

She slammed her fists down against the seat angrily. "What the fuck!"

Puck watched as the cab drove off and found himself hoping like all hell she figured it out.


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: holy shit! 95 reviews for 3 chapters! that absolutely blows my mind. and your reviews are amazing! i know i've literally bitched and begged and pleaded for them but they seriously keep me writing. just knowing that this story has gotten such a response this early fills me with so much happiness, i can't hold it in! so anyway, i will first apologize that this chapter is so damn long. however, this chapter contains the first Smuckleberry of the story, the first of many to come, so i hope you all think the length is worth it. please tell me whatever pops into your head about this story, what you like, what you hate, what you'd like to see happen, all of that! please keep reviewing. i try to respond to most of them but i apologize if yours gets skipped. don't let that stop you from telling me what you think. i love seeing everyone's reaction. oh yeah, apparently everyone loved ethel! wasn't expecting that. i'll see if i can get her back in some later chapters if you guys want. she was a lot of fun to write. as always, your reviews kick ass so keep them coming! without further ado, the Smuckleberry!...i don't own glee**

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"I can't figure out what he meant by that. What in the hell does that even mean? 'Ball's in your court', how is the ball in my court? Does he expect me to call him? I can't call him without a number, and he's talking like he's already given it to me! He's so infuriating! What am I supposed to do? Maybe he doesn't want to see me again. Maybe this is how he's telling me. I thought he would at least have the balls to tell me he wasn't interested. God, this is just like high school all over again. Was I reading too much into his signals? What is it about me that…" Rachel had started ranting the second they'd walked into the apartment. Santana sat down on the couch and watched as Rachel paced the living room. She understood completely where her friend was coming from but she was seriously getting tired of hearing the same phrases over and over again.

"Berry," she shouted. Rachel stopped where she was and turned towards Santana, a little stunned that she'd said her last name. "Shut up, please! You've got to stop pacing because I'm getting dizzy. First of all, don't give me that bullshit about him not being interested. I saw you two all night long and there were a couple times when I thought you guys were about to strip each other down on the dancefloor. You're both interested and you know it. Second of all, stop second-guessing yourself. It's annoying. You can out-perform anybody on any stage on the planet, in your sleep! You're Rachel fucking Berry, bitch. Now, do you want this guy or not?" Rachel, without thinking about it at all, replied instantly,

"Yes." As soon as the word left her lips, she cupped her hand over her mouth. Santana raised an eyebrow from her place still on the couch.

"Alright then, now we're getting somewhere. Rachel fucking Berry goes after what she wants and doesn't let anything or anyone get in her way. Now are you, Rachel Berry, going to let some stupid thing like a phone number get in your way?" She stopped long enough for Rachel to shake her head. "I didn't think so! Now you'll figure this out because why?" Rachel blinked a few times and then answered meekly,

"Because I'm Rachel Berry?" Santana shook her head and got up from the couch, stalking toward Rachel with her arms across her chest.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you from the noise that some _wimp_ was making. Care to repeat that?" Rachel squared her shoulders at Santana's advance and planted her feet firmly on the ground.

"Because I'm Rachel fucking Berry bitch!" Santana started laughing when she heard the statement come from Rachel's mouth. It was hilarious whenever Rachel brought out her actual diva mode, as long as it was being directed at someone else. Technically, it wasn't directed _at_ Santana, just in her general direction, so it was okay for her to laugh. Rachel was actually kind of scary in diva mode.

"Damn right!" Rachel couldn't help laughing at their little shoutfest and walked over to sit down on the couch. She giggled as Santana sat down next to her. She waited a few seconds before she grabbed her phone and started checking her text messages.

That's when it hit her. Puck had been acting like she already had his number. Maybe she did.

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Puck woke up on his couch. He'd been so tired when he got home from breakfast that he passed out as soon as his front door shut. He was glad that the club wasn't open on Sunday and Monday nights. It gave him a chance to sleep, or sleep around usually. He sat up and realized that he was still in the same clothes from the night before, and he seriously needed a shower. He walked into his bedroom, pulling clothes off along the way, arriving conveniently naked in the bathroom. When he stepped into the shower, groaning a little at the soreness in his muscles from sleeping on the couch, his thoughts started drifting back over the night.

From the second Rachel had stepped into his office with Tina and Santana, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. The way she danced with him, the way she both ignored and reciprocated his little comments, the way she smiled at him when no one else was looking, even her laugh, it all kind of drove him crazy. During breakfast, he'd made every little comment possible to get a rise out of her. She would either brush him off completely, which just made him more determined to get a reaction, or she would hit him back with a biting retort that had him adjusting himself and laughing at the same time. When they'd started a conversation about Santana being a freelance photographer, he couldn't help asking Rachel if she'd ever had nude photos taken. He saw the shock on everyone's faces, Rachel's included, and he'd had to move his leg to prevent another kick to the shin from Mike. But then, Rachel had just grinned and said of course, that it was important for her as a serious actress to be comfortable in her body. Puck nearly choked on his cheeseburger.

And with that memory firmly implanted in his brain, along with what his imagination could drum up fairly easily, Puck leaned his head against the wall of his shower, stroking himself to climax. He turned the hot water off completely.

When he stepped out of the shower a few minutes later, he slung a towel low on his hips and walked into the bedroom. He'd just pulled a t-shirt over his head when he heard his phone ringing in the other room. He figured it was Mike so he let it go to voicemail and kept searching for some sweatpants that he knew he'd left somewhere on the floor, or in the closet, or the dresser…somewhere. His head popped up when the phone started ringing again. That wasn't Mike. Mike wouldn't just call back like that, he'd leave a message telling him to pick his damn phone up and call him back. Puck walked back into the main room of the apartment and found his phone buzzing and ringing on the coffee table. He picked it up and smirked, not recognizing the number.

"Hello?"

"You smug little bastard." Puck laughed and punched the air in front of him in victory with his free hand. She figured it out!

"Well, that didn't take long. How'd you figure it out?" Rachel laughed darkly on the end of the line.

"After your little sports euphemism this morning, I couldn't help wondering why you would act as if I had your number unless I did in fact have it. I also remembered your comment at The Village. Looked in my contact list and I couldn't recall knowing anyone by the name of Puckzilla. Please tell me you don't actually refer to yourself by that name." Puck chuckled and walked back into his kitchen with the phone tucked between his shoulder and his ear.

"I couldn't make it too easy on you. Had to give you something that would keep you occupied for a little bit." He could hear her laughing as he opened his refrigerator and pulled the orange juice carton out and downed what little was left. "So, other than letting me know you found my number, did you need something?" He immediately hated the way he sounded as soon as the words left his mouth but Rachel just made some noise that sounded like a snort but more adorable and…god did he really just think her snort was adorable? What the fuck?

"Not really," she replied. "I just felt the need to let you know that you're very rude for going through my phone and then playing some stupid little game with me. I don't play games Noah." Puck quirked an eyebrow, a little stunned by the lighthearted tone of her voice coupled with the seriousness of her words.

"If you don't play games, Rachel, then what do you do?" The giggle he heard in reply was ominous, and sexy. How the hell did she do that?

"I win of course." And the line clicked dead. _Well shit_, he thought, _I need another cold shower._

Across town, Rachel had just closed her phone and reclined back against the pillows on her bed. She fingered her hair that was still wet from her shower and smiled to herself. She stared up at the ceiling for a second and then said aloud, "Game on, _Puckzilla_." Closing her eyes, she quickly fell asleep with a certain uncharacteristic smirk adorning her face.

A few hours later, Santana jumped on her bed and woke her up yelling something about a letter she'd received in the mail. Rachel just rolled over and did her best to ignore her best friend. She was just so tired. Santana wasn't having any of it. She just grabbed her shoulders and started shaking until finally Rachel sat straight up in her bed.

"What?" she yelled as she rubbed her eyes against the midday sun pouring into her room.

"I got the contract!" Rachel just shook her head and blinked a few times. She didn't have any idea what Santana was talking about.

"What contract San?" Santana thrust the letter out in front of her with the widest of smiles on her face.

"A month ago, I sent my portfolio to Heretical Models, that alternative modeling agency. They want to sign me on as one of their head photographers. The letter says they liked my work so much, I don't even need an interview. I just have to call and let them know if want it!" Santana looked so excited as she continued. "I'll get to schedule shoots, be the creative director in the editing process, talk with the designers and the models about the ideas I have for the shoots, they'll work with me on scheduling so I'll still be able to do my freelance work whenever I want to. I wonder if I could get Tina to pose for me. I know she isn't interested in modeling but I can't get over her bone structure. It could be just for my personal stash, like when I did your nude shots. I need to talk to her about that. I can't wait 'til our date tonight so I can tell her. Holy shit, I've gotta call my mom, your dads, everyone! This is huge." Rachel just giggled at her friend. She'd never seen her so bouncy and excited about a job before. It made her happy. She waited until she calmed down a little bit, at least enough so that she stopped jumping on the bed and finally sat down beside her before she said anything.

"Does this mean that I have to pay for my headshots now?" Santana started laughing again and pushed her lightly with her shoulder.

"Pffth, you don't pay for anything diva. You know that. That's never gonna change, no matter how much of a big-shot I become." Rachel laughed with her friend and leaned back against the pillows again. She looked over at Santana, the smile still on her friend's face making one appear on hers as well.

"So, remind me again why you even sent your portfolio to that agency in the first place?" Santana sat up and crossed her legs in front of her as she started to explain.

"Well, the other agencies I've worked for are so rigid in their aesthetics and it always annoys the hell out of me. Alternative modeling agencies are freer with everything. The models have piercings and tattoos, they're plus-size, they're just different and I like that. Plus, I could never get bored with them. It's an insanely creative environment and I think it'd be good for my work to immerse myself in that for a while. Plus, I get commission on every photo that I work on, not just the ones I actually take. And these photos are used everywhere! But I really wanna work with something different and this is where I'll find it." Rachel smiled even brighter as Santana looked wistful for a moment before turning to face Rachel on the bed. She tried to cover it up but Rachel saw the faraway look in her eyes.

"Speaking of different San, Tina's different isn't she?" Santana's eyes got really big and she covered her face with her hands.

"I really like her Rach. Like, _really_ like her. She knows who she is and she's completely comfortable with herself. That's really rare to find in people. It's stupid, I know we just met like the other night but I can't help myself. She's nothing like what I normally go for, and that just makes me really excited because I have no idea what to expect with her. I like the way she dresses, and the way she laughs, and the way she is with Puck and Mike. She just, I don't know." Rachel grinned and patted Santana's knee.

"Aww San, she's the Joanne to your Maureen!" Santana laughed and shook her head, rolling her eyes in the process.

"Seriously? You have to turn everything into a musical reference don't you?" Rachel just nodded cheekily. "Does that mean that Puck is the Danny to your Sandy? Or the Tony to your Maria? Or the Raoul to your Christine? Or-" Rachel put her hand over Santana's mouth to shut her up.

"Okay! I get it already. Am I really that annoying when I make musical references?" Santana shook her head and laughed when Rachel removed her hand from her mouth.

"You don't normally make that many in a row though. I was just trying to make a point. Puck wants in your pants and you want in his. Besides, you two look hot together. It's criminal that you haven't jumped each other yet." Rachel's mouth dropped in shock as she stared back at Santana.

"I met him barely two days ago San! I'm not just going to jump in bed with some random guy. I can control my urges." Santana snickered under her breath and muttered,

"Doesn't mean you should." Rachel hit Santana's knee again. "What? I'm serious Rachel. And he's not a random guy either. Besides, I'd like to think after this morning that we're all friends now anyway. There's no reason you can't add benefits to that relationship." Rachel huffed a sigh and laid back against her pillows on her back.

"I don't want a 'friends with benefits' situation San. I want to find the Tony to my Maria, no matter how cheesy that is. Puck seems like he would do fine as a one-night stand but I'm not interested in one night. I want a leading man, and I just don't think he's up for the part." Santana sighed and got up from the bed, noticing how tired Rachel still was from their night and morning out. She leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Sleep Rach, I'll wake you up when I get hungry." Rachel hit her playfully on the arm and rolled over on her side, sinking a little deeper into her bed as Santana left her room and shut the door.

Out in the hallway, Santana took her phone out of her pocket and text Mike.

_*think puck can be a leading man?*_

**

* * *

**

Mike stood in front of Puck's apartment door and laughed at Santana's text message. He quickly keyed his response with a smirk.

_*he's gonna learn real quick*_

He knocked on Puck's door and waited for it to open. He and Tina had already decided that Puck's jealousy would be their best bet. Puck never did share very well, ever since grade school. If he considered something his, nobody else touched it for fear of getting their fingers broken. And by the way Puck's arms and eyes had been all over Rachel the night before, he could tell Puck definitely considered her off-limits. He knocked again impatiently and briefly wondered if he should've worn a cup. Puck had been known to get violent when he thought his territory was being invaded. Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal Puck standing there with a bowl of cereal in his hands. His brows furrowed as he stared at Mike for a second.

"Didn't I _just_ see you?" Mike just laughed and pushed into the apartment, plopping himself down on the couch. Puck stood there by his open door and looked at Mike. With a shrug of his shoulders, he shut the door and sat down on the other end of the couch and continued eating his cereal. Mike started flipping through the channels on the TV, watching Puck out of the corner of his eye and waiting until he had the perfect bite in his mouth.

"So I'm gonna ask Rachel out." He didn't get the reaction he was hoping for, which would've been Puck spewing cereal everywhere. But Puck did snort, which made him suck a little bit of cereal back in his throat and start to choke. Mike patted him on the back, knowing that as soon as Puck was able to function again, he was gonna castrate him.

"The fuck," Puck growled, taking in a few shallow breaths and giving his best friend a glare that had stopped many a men dead in their tracks. Mike just smiled, trying his damndest to hide his fear that Puck might actually punch the hell out of him. Puck sat his bowl down on the table in front of him and stood up in front of Mike, blocking the MMA fight that was happening on screen.

"Hey dude, do you mind? I'm trying to watch the fight." Mike saw Puck's fists clench and unclench but he didn't move. Mike continued to play dumb, pretending not to know the reason behind Puck's sudden anger.

"I'll give you a fight to watch. You're not asking Rachel on a date." Mike resisted the urge to laugh at how quickly the plan was working while Puck was resisting the urge to punch his best friend for snaking his girl. Then he had to resist the urge to punch himself for even thinking of her as _his_.

"Why not? She's hot, she can dance, and she's a lot of fun. I bet she's flexible too. That's definitely worth something if you know what I mean." Puck saw red. The thought of Rachel's long toned legs wrapped around anyone else, her voice screaming anyone else's name, thoroughly pissed him off. Mike just looked up at him and smiled. "Unless, you know, you like her or something. I think that would make her off-limits, wouldn't it? If you want her man, all you gotta do is say so and I'll step off." And there it was! Puck crossed his arms over his chest.

"You sneaky bastard. You think you're gonna get me to admit that I like Rachel. Fuck that shit. Ask her out, see if I care." Mike could tell that Puck was just barely holding back his anger, and he figured that he'd already been found out so he had nothing to lose by laying it on a little thicker. Mike shrugged his shoulders and leaned casually back against the couch, deftly looking around Puck at the fight still happening on TV, hoping like hell that the current beatdown one fighter was receiving wouldn't be happening to him within the next few minutes.

"Whatever dude. I don't want to date her anyway. I just want to see if she's as awesome in bed as she is on the dancefloor. I bet she's vo-cal too!" Puck inched towards Mike; Mike tried to discreetly disappear into the couch cushions.

"Alright asshole! Go ahead and try to fuck her. See what happens." Puck's voice lowered to a harsh growl but Mike knew he had to stand his ground, take one for the team, the _Get Puck to be Monogamous With Rachel_ team. He knew he was about one more sentence away from never having children. He let out a slow breath and met Puck's fuming eyes with shaky confidence.

"Is that a threat Puck? Because I gotta be honest man. It's not like you've made any moves to try to get with her. So give me one good reason why I can't?" The anger left Puck's eyes suddenly and that scared Mike more than anything. Puck uncrossed his arms and fished his cell phone out of the pocket of his sweat pants. Mike watched him, confused, as he hit buttons on the keypad. The smirk on his face as he raised the phone to his ear was unnerving as all hell.

Puck listened to the phone ring, and ring, and ring. As it went to Rachel's voicemail, he figured he couldn't back down now. He felt he'd clearly made his interest known the past two nights with her, but his friend was obviously an idiot.

_"Hello, you've reached Rachel Berry. I'm sorry I missed your call but please leave a message with your name and phone number and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Bye."_ Puck chuckled at her message and waited for the beep. He ran his free hand over his head and started.

"Hey Rachel, it's Puck, uh, Noah. I guess you're asleep or whatever. Anyway, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight or something. We could get some food if you want. So yeah, give me a call whenever you get this." Puck quickly closed his phone and sat back down on the couch, resuming eating his cereal. After a second or two passed, he looked over at Mike with a look of smug satisfaction. "_That's_ why you can't." Mike tried really hard to keep the smile from forming on his face but it didn't work at all. He jumped up from the couch before Puck could say anything. Halfway to the door, he yelled over his shoulder,

"!" By the time Puck actually realized what his friend had said and that he'd just been played, Mike was already down two flights of stairs.

"Alright Jason, thank you for calling me. I will definitely be there tonight." Jason Reid, Rachel's newest director for West Side Story, had called (woke her up) to let her know that there was going to be an impromptu cast party that night. Normally, Rachel would expect more professionalism from a director, but Mr. Reid had a reputation for being spontaneous with his ideas. And she knew that his casts never complained about him, he was a genius who was easy to work with. So when he told her about the party he'd planned for that evening, she readily agreed. She was excited to get to know the rest of her cast-mates.

"Oh honey, I can't tell you how thrilled I am that you're my Maria! Now, I must be off. Oh, and darling, you simply must bring that significant other I'm hearing so much about! We all want to meet him." Rachel shook her head quickly and stuttered out,

"Wait, significant other? What are you talking about Jason? I'm single." She heard the man scoff before he replied,

"Oh right honey, and I'm straight. I keep up with my stars darling and everyone is absolutely abuzz about your new man that you've been seen with for the past two nights at Chase the Morning. I hear he's the owner! Good catch honey. Anyway, bring him along tonight. We can't wait to meet him, ta-ta!" And then he hung up. Rachel couldn't help laughing at the flamboyant man. When she hit the button to hang up, she saw the little symbol indicating that she had a voice message. She quickly called her voice-mailbox and listened for it to repeat the message waiting for her. Noah's voice rang out from her phone.

_"Hey Rachel, it's Puck, uh, Noah. I guess you're asleep or whatever. Anyway, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight or something. We could get some food if you want. So yeah, give me a call whenever you get this."_

Rachel gasped a little when she heard him asking if she wanted to hang out. The answer was a resounding yes but she'd just promised to be at a cast party, and you can't really bail out on a cast party when you're the lead in the play. She thought about it for about three seconds before her fingers were scrolling down the contact list in her phone to the P's. She'd kept him as _Puckzilla_ in her phone but added Noah out beside that in parentheses. The nickname, though juvenile, was funny.

"Hey babe, what's up?" Rachel laughed at his greeting, vaguely realizing that if anyone else had opened a phone conversation with that, she would've been annoyed beyond belief. She quickly cleared her throat.

"Hello Noah. I just received your message. I would love to join you this evening but it seems as though I have prior engagement." He started laughing which caught her somewhat off-guard. She really liked the sound of his laugh.

"You really do talk like that all the time huh. Sucks that you got other plans though." She wanted so badly for the tone in his voice to be disappointment, maybe it was.

"I believe we've already established my _Jane Austen_ speech pattern. Anyway, my director just called to inform me that he's throwing an impromptu cast party tonight. As the female lead, I must attend so I'm afraid I won't be able to 'hang out' with you this evening. However, if you would like to attend the party with me, Jason has informed me that he would love to meet you." She heard Noah snickering in the background right up to the part about Jason.

"Hold up babe! Who's Jason and why would he _love_ to meet me? I don't roll that way." Rachel laughed out loud and shook her head as if Noah was in the room with her.

"Jason is the director of West Side Story. Apparently, we were spotted at your club that last couple of nights and he seems to think we're together." Puck started laughing full out and Rachel furrowed her brow. "Why the hell are you laughing?"

"Because, and I'm sure you'll tell me I'm wrong about this but, you seem to think that showing up to a party together where everyone there already thinks we're together is gonna somehow make them think we're not together. In your crazy brain, this is a good idea." Rachel huffed and Puck kept laughing. He liked the sound of her huffing, it was close to panting.

"If you didn't want to accompany me, you could've just said so." Rachel pulled the phone away from her ear, ready to hang up on him.

"Hey wait a second diva," Puck barked into the phone. Rachel brought her cell phone back to her ear and he could hear her breathing, waiting for him to continue. "I didn't say that. I was just trying to follow your logic."

"Well I usually take Santana to cast parties but she's got her date with Tina tonight. I don't know anyone else in the cast yet and I just wanted to know someone there. So are you coming or not?" Noah smirked to himself and replied,

"Well I guess that depends on how long you let me stay after the party." Rachel rolled her eyes but smiled in spite of herself.

"Must you always be so lewd Noah?" Puck just chuckled and answered,

"You know you love it babe. I don't have to wear a monkey suit to this thing, do I?" He heard Rachel laugh and grinned. Her laugh was infectious.

"Oh no, it's not black-tie or anything. Just dressy casual, wear something you would wear to the club to work or something. I'm sure you'll look fine in anything." She muttered the last bit more to herself than anything but, it turns out Rachel can't mutter for shit so Puck heard every word.

"You think I'm hot, don't you Rach? I knew it!" Puck's voice sounded far too victorious for Rachel's tastes, and incidentally 'victorious' just made the smooth timbre all the more enticing. She tried her best to make her reply sound annoyed.

"I never said that Noah. Don't put words in my mouth." As soon as she said it, she knew she'd just given him the perfect opening. As expected, he took the unintentional bait.

"I can think of a few other things I'd like to put in your mouth." Even though she knew it was coming, even though she fully expected the lecherous comment, practically predicted it, it still managed to send a shot of fire straight to her core. Couple that with the sound of his voice coiling around the words, like a promise of things to come, she had to bite her lip to suppress a moan. She cleared her throat and tried her best to ignore the throbbing at the apex of her thighs.

"The party starts at nine. Pick me up by 8:45 and we'll be fashionably late. I'll text you the directions to my apartment. Goodbye Noah." She quickly closed the phone and exhaled heavily, feeling her heartbeat drumming in her chest.

Noah smirked into the phone. Rachel wanted him and he knew it, and he'd be damned if he was gonna let anyone else have her.

The cab pulled up outside Rachel's apartment and he instructed the cabbie to wait for them to come back out. He walked up to the doorman, laughing a little inside that her apartment had a doorman in the first place, and said,

"I'm picking up Rachel Berry for," the old man didn't wait for him to finish his sentence, just nodded his head and opened the door. Puck walked inside the lobby a little wearily and took the elevator up to Rachel's floor. He walked down the hall and stopped in front of Rachel's apartment door. He knocked twice and waited for an answer. Just when he was raising his hand to knock again, the door swung open and his jaw dropped to the floor.

Rachel opened the door knowing that Noah was on the other side. What she didn't expect was the beautiful man across her threshold. He was wearing a white v-neck t-shirt that had his muscles barely restrained. Over that was a gray vest with a sort of wood grain pattern in the fabric. He was wearing a pair of gray slacks that seemed to hang just right, and it made her mouth water. He was an Adonis, the original perception she'd had of him at first glance was no understatement. But seeing him standing there outside her door with one hand stuffed in his pants pocket, his biceps practically ripping the cloth that covered them to shreds every time he moved just slightly. She swallowed and turned her head towards the clock on the wall. 8:45 on the dot, she smiled.

"You're right on time Noah," she stated lamely. Puck smirked back at her with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You're surprised? I always come right on time babe." Puck looked her over appreciatively. She was wearing a short red dress cinched at the waist with a black belt. He could see a little lace peeking out from the top of the dress as she crossed her arms over her chest. His eyes traveled down her legs, damn those legs, and saw that she was wearing the same black heels from the night before. They were still hot as hell. God, there was no way he was gonna be able to keep his hands off of her. "You ready to go?" She turned her head and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'oh god yes' but then immediately said,

"Yes, we should go." She stepped out of the apartment, fully expecting him to move out of her way. He didn't. If anything he stepped closer when she turned around to close and lock the door. She moved slightly and felt his breath on her neck, making hers stop short. She turned her head to face him, meeting his hazel eyes.

"Nice dress," he stated, his voice low and husky. Rachel drew on every single one of her acting talents as she stared back at him, willing the heat he caused to just go away.

"Thank you Noah. Now, we really should be going." She turned and started to walk briskly down the hallway towards the elevator, mentally berating herself for letting his chiseled jaw, piercing eyes, and velvet voice get to her so easily. He followed her easily, stepping into the elevator after her. When the doors opened up into the lobby, he motioned for her to go out first, only so he could stare at her ass again. They walked by the doorman and out into the night. He quickened his pace so he could open the car door for her. He didn't want to be a complete asshole. Plus, the look of surprise on her face was totally worth it.

They were about halfway there and she hadn't said much. He knew from the night/morning before at breakfast that she was a talker so it didn't make much sense to him that she was so quiet.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" He didn't really see a point in beating around the bush. She turned her head to face him in the darkened car and smiled.

"I'm just a little nervous. That's all. I always get nervous before meeting a new cast. Old habits die hard." She turned her head back to the window but Puck didn't feel like he'd gotten the whole story. For some reason, that bothered him.

"Old habits? What's that supposed to mean?" She huffed and he couldn't help grinning a little at the sound.

"In high school, nobody really liked me that much. They all thought I was pushy, abrasive, intense, self-centered, loud, opinionated, and a great number of many more adjectives that they considered negative. I simply knew who I was and what I wanted out of life, and some people couldn't handle that. But still, every time I meet a new cast that I'm a part of, I always get a little nervous that they're thinking those same thoughts that my schoolmates did." Puck sat back as he watched her shoulders straighten a little. She looked relieved to have gotten that off her chest. Hell, this was supposed to be a party. She shouldn't be nervous about a party, especially when she was a pretty big deal at said party. He wanted to loosen her up a little bit.

"So fuck'em. Who cares what they think? They can't really do this thing without you, you're the star of the damn thing. You gotta bring out that sexy vixen I've been seeing for the past two nights. Now _she_ wouldn't give a damn who thought she was pushy or intense. You know you're better than all of them, otherwise they'd be in your shoes. _They'd_ be the lead in a big-ass musical. But they're not, you are. So walk in that party tonight like you own it, because you do." Just as he finished speaking, the cab stopped outside the uptown bar that the party was being held at. Rachel opened the door and got out without a word. She was standing on the sidewalk when Puck emerged from the cab. As soon as he stood up straight, he felt her arms wrapped around his neck.

His lips were soft, kind of like pillows. Rachel wasn't really sure what came over her but after his little pep-talk, which she knew wasn't really in character for him to do, she wanted to thank him. As he'd spoken, she literally felt her nerves disappear. He responded quickly, his hands came around to the small of her back as he pulled her closer. She tilted her head slightly and felt his mouth open just a little. The surge of confidence he'd given her coursing through her body, she darted her tongue across his lip and suddenly his hands were on her face, pulling her closer than before. His tongue was warm against hers, languidly stroking every part of her mouth. He lifted her chin and changed the angle of the kiss once more, gently sucking her tongue into his mouth. After a second or two, they both pulled away, sated for the time being. Puck cocked his eyebrow and used his thumb to brush her hair out of her face.

"What was that for," he asked. Shit, he'd been hoping to loosen her up. If this was how she did it, he wanted her loose 24/7! Rachel smiled up at him and ran her fingers down his abdomen.

"You helped me forget my nerves Noah. Thank you." He grinned down at her and pulled her close once more, about to go in for another kiss that promised to be just as mind-blowing as the first.

"I can make you forget a lot more than nerves babe," he whispered against her lips. He felt her smile against his mouth but before he could apply anymore pressure, a flash went off out of the corner of his eye and she pulled away quickly. They both turned their heads in the direction of the flash and saw a few men with cameras standing just outside the doors to the bar.

"Shit, Noah I'm sorry. I didn't know there would be paparazzi here tonight. There's probably some more inside. I don't want you to get uncomfortable tonight. The best thing to do is just pretend they're not there." Puck just waved at the line of cameramen steadily clicking away at them and then turned back to Rachel.

"Bring it." Rachel smiled and slipped her arm through his and started in the direction of the doors. One of the paps stepped a little closer and waved his hand to get Rachel's attention.

"Miss Berry! Miss Berry! Care to tell us who your friend is? The two of you have been spotted around the city for the past two nights. Would you like to comment Miss Berry?" Puck fully expected her to keep walking, pretending they weren't there like she'd told him to do. He noticed how the pap got closer to Rachel when she stopped and he instinctively pulled her into his body.

"Actually, no but I will comment on the upcoming production of West Side Story. We start rehearsals in three weeks and I hope to see you all there opening night! Have a lovely evening boys!" And with that, she pushed the door open and pulled him inside. Puck was pretty surprised at how she'd handled the photogs, completely ignoring their questions and turning the topic on the upcoming musical. She was a true professional, and he couldn't help feeling impressed.

The hostess just inside the door stood up a little straighter as the door shut behind Rachel and Puck. Puck watched as her eyes grew wide when they fell on Rachel.

"Oh Miss Berry, the Reid party is upstairs in the V.I.P. room. If you'll just follow me," and off she went. Rachel leaned over to Puck and whispered as they ascended the stairs.

"Noah, we'll probably get separated at some point during the night. Just find me if you get uncomfortable and we can leave. I really appreciate you doing this for me." Puck just smirked and whispered back,

"Babe, I'm here so _you_ don't get uncomfortable. But after seeing the way you handled the guys outside, I'm not really sure I'm needed so much." He felt a smug sense of satisfaction when her hand tightened a little bit around his forearm.

"Oh that's all an act. Inside, I'm a ball of nerves." As they stopped in front of the V.I.P. room door, Puck leaned down and blew softly on her neck.

"I can _definitely_ help with that babe." Rachel let out a small chuckle and turned to face him just as the door opened.

"Maybe we'll see about that later." Puck's mouth dropped open at her words and suddenly he was being pulled into the V.I.P. room beside Rachel.

The room went quiet for a second, and Puck wasn't really sure what to do. Then suddenly, this dark haired guy threw his arms up in the air and practically squealed,

"Rachel Berry! Our star is here everyone, our star is here!" Everybody in the room started clapping as the man made his way towards Rachel and Puck. He reached out and grasped Rachel's face and quickly kissed her on the cheeks dramatically. "Oh darling, we've been waiting for our star and now you're here." He suddenly turned his eyes on Puck and smiled devilishly. "And is this little morsel who I think it is?" Rachel's laugh rang out like a bell beside him.

"Jason, this is my friend Noah Puckerman. Noah, this is Jason Reid, the director of West Side Story." Jason held his hand out to Puck who shook it firmly. Jason clicked his tongue suspiciously and eyed Puck.

"Friend hmm? That's not what I've heard. But I digress, honey. Come, you must meet the rest of the cast. Do you mind if I borrow her for a moment? I promise to return her in one piece." Rachel looked at Puck and nodded with a small smile on her face.

"I'll hold you to that. I'm just gonna get a beer." As Jason pulled Rachel away from Puck, she turned and smiled at him.

As Puck made his way to the bar, he kept his eyes on Rachel as she was tugged through the crowd with her director. He watched her meet the guy he presumed would be playing Tony in the musical and she hugged him. Puck grabbed a shrimp from a passing waiter's tray and popped it in his mouth. Rachel smiled, laughed, and looked so natural. She was completely in her element with these people and he could tell that the people around her were in awe of her. She was a pretty fucking big deal in this world and everyone around her knew it. He could tell by the way they stepped out of the way when she walked by, they respected her. Her worries she'd talked about in the cab were completely unfounded. Every woman in the room wanted to be her, every straight man wanted to be with her, and every gay man would probably go straight for her.

After about an hour, Rachel had only been able to escape the crowd twice before she'd get dragged off again to meet more people. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he had a text from Rachel.

_*so sorry about leaving you alone. I'm trying to get back over there. I could really use a drink right now*_

He laughed at the text message and looked up, searching her out in the crowd. When he didn't immediately see her among the throng of people, he keyed his response.

_*I know a way you can make it up to me.*_

He laughed at what he predicted her face would look like when she read the text. He turned his attention back to the wine, it was all they had for this party, in his hand and watched as a few waitresses walked by with food on their trays that looked really good. His stomach quickly reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything since his cereal that morning and he stood up to go chase one of the trays of food down. Suddenly, he found himself blocked by a tray of food with a person attached.

"Hello Puck. It's been a while." Puck stared at the waitress in front of him holding the tray of stuffed mushroom caps. He'd had his eyes on Rachel all night long so the chick's face wasn't really ringing any bells. She didn't really look all that great. Her lips weren't full enough, her eyes were a dull listless blue, and her hair was way too blonde. Basically, she was the exact opposite of Rachel, but Puck wasn't ready to admit that out loud. He stared at her for a second before turning his head to look for Rachel amongst the crowd of other actors. He still couldn't see her anywhere.

"Um, sorry, do I know you?" The woman scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't exactly expect you to. We had a one-night stand and you never called me again." Puck took a swig of his red wine, wishing it was a beer. He shrugged his shoulders at the woman and replied,

"Well, they don't call it a one-night stand for nothing. And you obviously weren't memorable because I still don't have a clue who the hell you are." Puck could see he'd pissed her off but he really didn't give a shit. He looked around again for Rachel and still didn't see her. When he looked back at the one-night stand, she grabbed his wine glass out of his hand.

"You insensitive bastard!" And before Puck realized it, he felt the liquid running down the front of his face and body. He stood there for a second, trying to remember why it was a bad thing to hit women.

Suddenly, like a ninja, Rachel was there beside him.

"Excuse me!" was all she said and then he heard the slap ring out. O.N.S.'s face jerked dramatically from the sheer force of Rachel's tiny hand connecting with her cheek. "You do _not_ go pouring wine on a person whenever you feel like it, especially when that person is _my_ date, bitch. I will be calling your employer and informing them of this blatant disregard of professionalism on your part." Without missing a beat, she turned to Puck and gently cupped his face in her hands. "Are you okay? That wine is going to leave one hell of a stain. We should go back to my place, maybe I'll be able to soak it and get it out. We can't stay here while you're covered in wine." Once more, she turned back to the blonde who was still reeling from the awesome bitch-slap Rachel had just delivered to her and said, "Enjoy the rest of the party. It'll be the last you work in this town." The woman, completely slack-jawed from the verbal and literal smack-down Rachel gave her, walked away slowly with her tray of mushrooms. It was then that Puck noticed how everyone in the room was staring at them. Suddenly, Jason was at Rachel's side.

"Oh honey, I saw the whole thing. I'm so sorry, I will definitely not be using this caterer again." Rachel smiled at Jason.

"Thank you Jason. I'm sorry for leaving so soon after we just got here but I really think I should get Noah home so he can get cleaned up." Both Puck and Jason looked up when she said that, Rachel apparently didn't realize she'd just insinuated that Puck lived with her. Jason smirked and winked at Rachel.

"Okay honey, you get your 'friend' home and I'll make sure that tramp never works in this town again. Don't you worry dear, nobody messes with my lead's leading man." And then the man flitted off before Puck or Rachel could say anything. Rachel looked up at him and smiled apologetically. He just laughed.

"Where the fuck were you? I haven't seen you for the last twenty minutes and then all of the sudden you pop out of nowhere! I didn't think they made Jewish ninjas but apparently I was wrong about that." Rachel laughed and hit his shoulder.

"I was actually ready to leave so I was on my way over to you when I saw her grab your glass out of your hand. And then she threw it in your face, oh she's lucky all I did was slap her. I mean really, who does that?" Puck immediately felt guilty that Rachel had been worried about him.

"Well actually, I probably deserved it. Apparently, we had a one-night stand and I never called her. I guess she was a little pissed about that." Puck scratched the back of his head and waited for Rachel find another glass and turn it upside down over his head as well. Instead, she started laughing.

"Nobody calls after a one-night stand. That's why they call it a _one-night stand_. Everybody knows that." He looked down at her and watched as she kept laughing, clutching slightly at her sides. "And people call me a drama queen? Wow! Well, I was ready to leave anyway and this gives us a good excuse. Let's get you out of those clothes." She quickly cupped her hand over her mouth as soon as she realized what she'd said. Puck knew it was an easy shot but he took it anyway.

"You first babe." He grinned at her but she just smirked and shook her head.

"You're the one sopping with red wine, not me." An idea hit Puck and he grabbed Rachel, pulling her close by her shoulders and rubbing against her to transfer the wine from his clothes to hers. Rachel squealed and giggled and tried to pull away but he just held her tighter.

"Can we take your clothes off now," he whispered against her neck. She let a small moan escape her lips and he inhaled deeply. He held her for another long second but then dropped his arms. She stepped back and looked up, meeting his eyes with the same sexy confidence that caused him to have to rub one out in his shower that morning. She laughed lightly and said,

"Come on Noah." She reached down and grabbed his hand to head back downstairs so they could leave. When they got outside, she raised two fingers to her lips and whistled for a cab like a pro. It was hot, but then again, everything she seemed to do was never anything but. She slid into the car and he followed her, shutting the door behind them. She rattled off her address to the cabbie and then turned towards him, a playful smile on her soft lips.

"What," he asked. She just laughed and shook her head.

"It astounds me that, even though you're practically drenched with red wine, you still look like you do." He smirked at her implication but he wanted to hear her say it. He inched closer to her on the seat and leaned in to whisper in her ear,

"What do I look like, diva?" Rachel rolled her eyes but answered,

"Hot." He chuckled and met her gaze. When she brought her fingers up to his jaw, he held his breath. Her index finger ran the length of his jaw, then she pulled it away and held it the between them. "Sticky." When that same finger made its way to her lips, he fucking shuddered. She sucked the tip of her finger into her mouth and he had to pretty much bite his damn tongue to keep from letting out the groan in the back of his throat. It managed to come out anyway, only in the form of a growl. She pursed her lips as she pulled her finger out, the popping sound almost made him lose his shit right there. "Sweet." He pulled away from her because he had no other choice. Well, that's not totally true. His other choice was fucking her in the backseat of a New York cab, so he _basically_ had no other choice.

"You like playing with fire, don't you," he ground out. She smirked back at him and nodded once.

"Maybe I just want to feel the burn Noah." Lucky for him, or unlucky depending on how you look at it, the cab stopped in front of her apartment building. As he was getting out of the cab, he heard her phone ringing from behind him. When he turned around, she was laughing softly and hitting the buttons on her keypad to respond to the text message. "Santana and Tina have apparently hit it off well. She said she wouldn't be home tonight." Puck laughed and then thought about living situations.

"Wonder how Mike's taking that?" Rachel's eyes got big as she remembered that Tina was currently living with Mike.

"Oh, poor guy. Does he have anywhere else to go?" Puck just scratched his head as they walked towards the entrance to her building.

"He's got a key to my place for emergencies. He'll probably go crash on my couch or something." The doorman was different this time and it made Puck remember the one from earlier in the night. "Oh yeah, your security sucks here." Rachel turned towards him when she stepped into the lobby and laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Puck motioned his head towards the doorman and replied,

"The dude before just let me in, no questions asked. I told him I was here to pick you up and he just let me go right in. I could've been anyone, crazy stalker serial killer or anything." Rachel's body started to shake with laughter but she was really touched that he seemed to be genuinely worried about her safety, not unlike the night before when he'd not-so-discretely positioned himself between her and the rest of the world. She'd pretended not to notice, but she really liked how protective he seemed to be.

"Leo is a magnificent doorman. The reason he let you up without any questions is because I told him that I would be expecting a friend to pick me up for a party this evening and I gave him your description with the instructions to let you up. He knows what he's doing. The security here is just fine. Besides, he's an ex-Marine. I think I'm safe." Noah blinked once and watched as Rachel turned on her heel and started for the elevator, shaking her head and laughing the whole way.

When they made it up to her apartment, she unlocked the door and walked inside. She turned around to face him and gave him a once over, which reminded him that his top half was covered in red wine.

"The vest is probably gonna have to be dry-cleaned but I'm sure I could soak the t-shirt and get the stain out before it sets in." She looked at him expectantly and he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do. "Well, are you going to give me the shirt or not?" He chuckled, slightly embarrassed and shrugged his vest off.

Rachel watched as he tossed the vest over the arm of her couch, the muscles in his biceps bulging dangerously. He stepped closer to her, and she could tell he was having way too much fun invading her space. Her breath caught in her throat as he tugged the shirt up his abdomen and over his head. Once more, she could smell him and she unconsciously moved even closer to his body. There was barely an inch between his bare upper torso and hers. She blinked quickly once she realized their proximity and backed up, taking the shirt from his hands. As she walked towards the kitchen, she called over her shoulder,

"The bathroom's just down the hall if you want to get cleaned up." She heard him walking down the hall and turned her head just in time to see his ass, covered by those gray slacks that hung low on his hips. His body was insane! He radiated masculinity and it drove her completely insane.

When he still hadn't returned from the bathroom after she'd gotten his shirt soaking in some bleach in the kitchen sink, she headed back to her room to change out of her dress and into something a little more comfortable.

Puck stood in her bathroom and looked at his face in the mirror. He touched his cheek with his fingers and felt the sticky vino still there. Quickly, he splashed some water on his face and grabbed a washcloth out of the linen cupboard beside the sink. He wet it with warm water and lightly scrubbed the alcohol from his skin. When he finished, he dropped the washcloth in the hamper on the other side of the sink and walked back out into the apartment.

He didn't immediately see Rachel as he walked into the living area so he assumed she'd gone to her room for something. He resisted the strong urge to go back there and…fuck, he had to get his mind off of that. He noticed a bookshelf next to the television set and walked over to it. He was skimming over the titles, some of which he recognized but would never admit to and others he'd never heard of before, when he saw the silver spine of one book that didn't seem to have a name. Curious, he pulled it out and opened it up. Inside were photographs of people, beautiful photographs. He figured it was Santana's portfolio that she'd spoken of at breakfast. He turned around with the book still in his hands and sat down on the couch, slowly flipping through the pages and admiring the work of the clearly talented Latina. And then he turned the page and his eyes bugged out of his head.

There on the sheet in front of him, in a glossy black and white photo, was Rachel. She was lying down, her hair was fanned out, a beautiful smile on her face. Oh yeah, and she was stark naked too. He couldn't take his eyes off of the photo. She was so fucking hot. He turned the page, and there was another one. She was standing up in a powerful pose, her legs shoulders' width apart. Technically, she wasn't completely naked in that one; a fedora perched on the side of her head and a pair of strappy stilettos on her feet. One hand was on her hip and the other was just over her right breast. Her eyebrow was quirked, like even from a photo she knew he wanted her. He turned the page again, needing this to continue. The third photo had her seated in a chair, legs crossed and leaning forward with her elbow propped up on her knee. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun and she was looking straight into the camera with a look of complete sophistication. It blew his mind (among other things) that she could still manage to demand respect completely nude. He was so enthralled with the photos that he didn't hear her bedroom door open.

Rachel saw his bare shoulders over the couch as she walked back into the living room of the apartment. He seemed to be reading something. She stealthily snuck up behind him and peaked over his shoulder. When she realized what he'd found, she let out a small giggle. He jumped off of the couch and turned around.

"Nosy?" She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled back at him. He quickly shut the album and dropped it on the couch.

"Shit Rachel, you scared the fuck out of me! You're taking this NinJew thing a little too seriously." Rachel let out a small chuckle and reached over the couch to pick up the portfolio.

"I see you found San's stash. Did you like them?" Puck suddenly recovered from his shock of being scared shitless and remembered what he'd been caught looking at.

"You're not pissed?" She laughed and walked around the couch to sit down.

"Why should I be? Santana is extremely gifted with a camera and I love when she makes me the subject of her photos. It's like, becoming art. And no one has ever seen these before, except for Santana and me. It'd be nice to get a different opinion. Answer my question Noah, did you like them?" Puck just nodded his head, at a complete loss for words. She laughed and opened the book on her lap. Motioning with her head to the spot beside her on the couch, she said, "Sit back down, I'll show you some of my favorites." Puck sat back down on the couch and turned his head to watch as she flipped through the pages. This was probably the coolest girl on the whole damn planet.

Rachel found her section of the book and flipped past the pictures he'd already looked at. The one after the 'librarian' shot (as Santana had deemed it) was another one where she was standing up. She was leaning back against a wall with her legs crossed at the ankles. Her arms were lifted above her body and propped against the wall. Rachel turned the book slightly so that Puck could get a better look at the photo. When she turned her head to face him, she found him staring intently back at her.

"I love this one. It's so simple but if you look at how Santana has the lighting set up, it's a very complicated shot to capture. She's always challenging herself like that, doing impossible shots." Puck laughed with intent and replied,

"Sorry I'm a little too distracted by the fact that you're _naked_ in the picture to notice the lighting. I liked the one before it, you look fucking hot." Rachel smiled at that and nodded in agreement which made him laugh again. She turned the page. A color shot, she was standing at a window looking over her shoulder at the camera. This was the mildest photo he'd seen so far, but the hottest by far and he wasn't even sure why because nothing was actually even showing. Her big brown eyes could stare you down from the page and it amazed him that she was literally laying herself out there to him without any fear. She was fucking gorgeous. And he had to have her.

Suddenly, Puck took the book from her and laid it down on the table in front of the couch. He placed his hand on her bare thigh and turned her body more towards his.

"C'mere Rach." She grinned and moved so that she was straddling his legs and raised her arms over her head. Puck chuckled and lifted the tank top she'd changed into up and off her body. He stared for just a second at her breasts, marveling at the fact that even amazing photos hadn't done her justice. Her breasts were small but full and round, rosy pink nipples just begging for attention. He leaned closer and caught one dusky bud between his teeth, tugging gently as he listened to the small moans of appreciation from the woman in his lap. He ran his hands down her body to the bend in her knees. Gripping just barely, he pulled her even closer. Rachel gasped above him and he smirked against her chest. His tongue circled once more over the nipple before he moved his mouth to the other breast, lavishing it with the same attention he'd given its twin. Rachel was running one of her hands through the short bristles on his head while the other gripped his shoulder for support. He pulled his head away, laughing when he met resistance as she tried to push him back to her chest. He allowed her to push his head back but instead of going for her breasts again, he kissed a trail up to her neck and pressed a heated kiss against her pulse. She moaned again and suddenly he felt himself being pushed back against the couch. Her eyes were dark as she met his gaze for the shortest of seconds. And then he felt her lips on his and his world went black.

She pressed against him and moved his head up for a better angle at his mouth. Puck kept his hands at her back to make sure she didn't pull away. Her tongue moved against his at first, almost in challenge, and then suddenly they were moving together. She nipped at his bottom lip a few times before diving back in. Rachel knew that making out with him wasn't going to satisfy this need she'd suddenly developed for him, but it could get close if she moved the right way. Puck growled as she brought her hips down against his tented slacks again and again. It was too much. He gripped her hips roughly to still her movements and let out a pained laugh at the look she gave him when she rose up from their kiss.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm gonna fuck you on a bed first, then we can work on other places." Rachel laughed and kissed him long and slow before she got up from his lap and walked around the couch. She leaned over his shoulder and blew in his ear before whispering,

"Don't make me start without you. You'll be sorry." Puck's eyes widened and he was over the back of the couch in one bound, chasing her down the hallway to her room. He caught her at the door and quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, easily lifting her into the air. She giggled as he shut the door behind them and leaned back against it. It wasn't until his hand slipped below the waistband of her shorts that she stopped giggling, the last one catching in her throat. He swiped one finger against her opening and she gasped. When his thumb brushed against her clit, she let a guttural cry erupt from her lips. Puck leaned down and kissed her neck as he started to piston his fingers in and out of her body. He held her tighter against his chest to keep her as motionless as possible, which really only served to piss her off a little bit. He still had her in the air so she wasn't able to ride his hand like she wanted. He laughed gently at the whimpering sound she made when he pulled his fingers out of her shorts and let her drop lightly to the ground. The second her feet touched the floor, she turned around to face him. Puck brought his fingers up to his mouth and cleaned himself off, the look on her face priceless. She stepped closer and pressed her lips to his, her tongue was doing things to his mouth that made him almost wish she was on her knees.

Rachel could feel his erection against her stomach. Even through his pants, she could tell he was huge. Just the thought of him buried inside her made her toes curl and she couldn't wait any longer to make that happen. She took his hand and pulled him back towards the bed, stepping out of her shorts and panties along the way. When they reached her bed, she sat down on the edge and unzipped his pants. She was disappointed when she saw that he'd worn boxers, just another layer of hindrance in her mind. She needed him naked two days ago! Puck pushed her back on the bed and slid his boxers to the floor. Rachel gasped when he was finally free and stood up on her knees to admire him more easily. She cocked an eyebrow as he stared back at her.

"Impressive, but do you know how to use it?" His responding laugh sent even more bolts of heat through her body. The way he crawled onto the bed and practically stalked towards her was positively primal and she loved it. With a grin on his face, he motioned with his head for her to lie back down. Rachel happily obliged and leaned back until she felt the softness of her comforter against her skin, keeping her knees bent under her body. Puck smirked as he looked at her, glistening in the soft light of her room.

"Perfect," he muttered, "so fucking perfect." She rolled her hips in the air and he watched as her hand started to drift down her body. He remembered her earlier threat and gently slapped her hand away. They would have plenty of time to watch each other play later but at that moment, he needed to be buried deep. "Rach, you got condoms right?" Rachel nodded her head and pointed towards her bedside table. Puck leaned over and opened the top drawer, quickly retrieving the foil package. Rachel moaned as he rolled the condom on and he smirked at her. He pulled her closer and wrapped her legs around his waist, giving him the perfect view of her upper body as she bent back on the bed. He couldn't help staring for just a second but then she hit the bed with her fist and said,

"Damn it Noah, just please!" Rachel tightened her legs, causing him to enter her without warning and they both cried out. Puck used his hands to steady himself, trying not to move because he knew that this would be over way too soon if he did.

Rachel clinched around him and moaned at the completely full feeling he gave her. It was like a glove, he fit like a fucking glove. But just fitting wasn't doing anything to ease the ache she had for him. So when she used her feet for leverage and pulled back so she could slide back against him, she laughed at the way he groaned. Puck grabbed her hips forcefully and stilled her movements.

"Stop it Rachel." She raised her head and looked at the man who'd just growled at her.

"What's wrong," she asked playfully.

"So…fucking…tight…gotta stop…moving…just a sec…holy shit…" He was breathing quickly and Rachel stayed still. After about four seconds passed, his grip on her loosened and he pulled his hips back. When he caught her gaze, she smiled and nodded her head quickly. Puck ran his hands up her torso and circled her waist as he started to pound into her body. The way he had her propped up on his legs gave him the perfect angle to hit her g-spot every time. He really liked the sounds she was making, like a gasp or a moan but lighter.

"Harder," she choked out, "harder Noah fuck!" He listened to her rapid breathing and thrust harder. He watched her breasts bounce each time their bodies met. Rachel arched her back and gripped the sheets as she felt her orgasm start to build. Puck saw her bend even farther back and gripped her waist a little tighter. Using her hands, Rachel lifted herself off the bed and fully straddled Puck's thighs. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed herself up, only to drop back down with all the force in her small body. Puck groaned and pulled her lips down to his. He had to kiss her again. They let their tongues battle it out for dominance, neither one of them really caring who won. Suddenly, and she had no clue how he did it without her noticing, she felt his fingers brush against her clit and she gasped into his mouth. She tore her lips from his and threw her head back, leaving crescent-shaped markings in his shoulders. With the hand that wasn't busy furiously working her clit, Puck continued to guide her up and down as she rode him fast and hard. He knew he didn't have much longer. So he kissed up her collarbone and sucked on her pulse, bruising the soft skin there.

Rachel saw the blinding light behind her eyelids as he continued to rock into her body. Her climax was still ripping through her body when she heard him yell something that sounded like her name mixed with a few obscenities. She could feel his hot breath against her chest as she ran her shaky fingers through his hair. She cupped his face with her hands and looked down at him. His eyes, those charming hazel eyes, were a little dazed as he blinked up at her. She laughed and pressed her lips to his, relishing the way they molded to hers. When he pulled back and clasped his hands around her back, his nose brushed against hers and she smiled.

Puck watched as her eyes fluttered and he knew she had to be exhausted. Hell, _he_ was exhausted. He let go of her so she could lift herself off of him and shuddered a little as her walls were still clenched around him. As he threw the used condom into the garbage, Puck waited for his usual instinct to run to kick in. As Rachel pulled the blankets back and crawled under them, he still didn't feel like running. In fact, the only thing he wanted to do was crawl in beside her. She looked over and shot him a lazy grin that made the already insanely comfortable bed that much more inviting, he decided to go with it. He always went with his gut and right then, his gut was telling him to pull that woman against his body and fall asleep with her in his arms. He pulled the covers back and climbed in beside her, ignoring the shocked look on her face when she realized he had every intention of staying. She scooted closer to him and giggled a little when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her top half over on his chest. He felt her hair fan out across his chest and briefly ran his fingers through it before they both drifted off to sleep.

Neither one of them dreamed that night. There wasn't really a point after that.


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: the morning after! alright guys, your reviews, as always, kicked ass so i'm so happy about that. i'm really sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out. my muse was being a bitch, not my fault. i wrote a one-shot for in the meantime so if you guys haven't read that, you should! "Out Tonight", i had so much fun writing it. anyway, i hope you guys like this chapter and hopefully chapter 6 won't be as difficult as this one was. so anyway, i hope you guys like this one and kick as in the reviews! please please please! i don't own glee, enjoy! oh yeah, for those of you wondering, mike does get someone. take a wild guess at who it is!**

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Santana slowly turned her key in the lock and shushed Tina standing behind her. They both ended up feeling really bad about Mike going over to Puck's apartment for the night so they decided to come back to Santana and Rachel's apartment for breakfast. Santana figured Rachel would be up already so when she and Tina stepped into the apartment and didn't immediately see her anywhere, she was a little surprised. It was about nine in the morning and Rachel wasn't flitting around the apartment. She walked into the kitchen and smelled the faint scent of bleach. She looked into the sink and saw the white t-shirt floating in the water. "What the hell is this?" She was just about to turn and go down the hall to Rachel's room when she noticed Tina staring at the couch. "What's wrong?" Tina pointed at the couch when Santana came up beside her and said,

"Is that Rachel's tank top? Because I know for a fact that that's Puck's vest." Santana looked at the garments in question flung haphazardly on the couch. The gray vest had some kind of red stain all over it and was lying across the arm of the couch. Rachel's tank top, her favorite blue one with tiny gold stars all over it, was crumpled and wedged slightly between the cushions. The two women shared an evil grin and then took off down the hall to Rachel's bedroom.

Santana tried to stop giggling as she carefully pushed the door open. It wasn't easy with Tina standing so close behind her. But when she finally got the door open all the way, they both gasped.

There, in Rachel's bed, were Puck and Rachel. Rachel was tucked into Puck's side and his arm was draped around her shoulders, holding her tight against his body. The blanket had shifted down during the night apparently because it was sitting very low on Puck's and Rachel's hips. Her bare back was facing the door and her arm was slung across Puck's ripped abs.

"He stayed," Tina muttered under her breath. Santana turned her head back towards her.

"What was that?" Tina cleared her throat and smiled.

"He stayed. Puck never stays. Never has. But look at him. He fucking stayed the night Santana. Do you know what this means?" Santana grinned and took her phone out to take pictures as she replied,

"Uh yeah, that I'm really glad I stayed with you last night." Tina laughed quietly and shook her head.

"No, well yes but that's not what I meant. He likes Rachel, a lot. He probably doesn't know it yet but he does. I just hope he doesn't start being an asshole when he realizes it. I like Rachel, and I'd hate for us to have to kick his ass because he's an emotional Special Olympian." Santana snorted her laughter and looked back at the couple in the bed. At that moment, both of them released a contented sigh at the same time and it made the two women in the doorway grin like fools. As she snapped another picture, Santana smiled at her friend. The man lying with her wouldn't hurt her, she just knew it.

"Tina, you wanna go out for breakfast?" Tina giggled and nodded her head. She looked down at what Santana was wearing and giggled a little more. Santana had on one of her black skirts with lace and ribbons all over it and one of Mike's leather jackets over her bra.

"You might wanna change first." Santana looked down and laughed before ushering Tina out of the room with one last look behind them at the couple still sound asleep in the bed. Once they were out in the hallway, Santana pushed Tina against the wall. She kissed her soundly on the lips and ran her fingers under her babydoll tee she wore, skittering against her stomach. When she pulled back, Tina's pale face was a little flushed.

"You wanna help?" Tina nodded and Santana took her hand and led her into her room. About twenty minutes later, the pair of women left the apartment, but not before checking on the other couple first. When they saw they hadn't budged an inch, the girls quietly snuck outside and headed to breakfast.

Puck woke up to unfamiliar surroundings. But what was familiar was the brunette wrapped around his torso. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. A few strands of hair were hanging down over her face and every time she would exhale, the little puff of air would flutter the strands. Puck moved his arm up her back and reached the stray hairs to move them out of the way, being careful not to wake her. He found it a little weird that his running instinct still hadn't shown up yet but he figured he might as well go with it. The only black mark on the night had been getting wine thrown in his face, which technically led him right back to Rachel's apartment which led to him having mind-blowing sex with Rachel. So even then, he couldn't really count the wine thing as a black mark. When he thought about the reason for getting the wine thrown in his face however, he blanched a little. That woman had been a one-night stand that he quickly forgot about. But Rachel was a part of his life now. He knew that Mike and Tina loved her and whatever was going on between Tina and Santana didn't look like it was going to be burning out quickly. He liked Santana too, she was like the chick version of him which automatically made her awesome. Those factors would make Rachel impossible to avoid. But, he didn't _want_ to avoid her. Like, at all. He didn't want Rachel to be another one-night stand. He sure as hell didn't think he was ready for a relationship but he wasn't as opposed to the idea as he'd been a mere few days prior. He looked around the room and then back at Rachel, still asleep on his chest. She was so damn gorgeous. There was no way in hell that he was gonna be able to settle for just one night with her. He couldn't. He already wanted more, just looking at her! What the fuck was that about?

Suddenly, he heard a phone going off. He recognized the tone from the night before. Rachel had a text message. He didn't really want to wake her up over a text, she looked so comfortable laying there on his chest. _He_ was so comfortable with her laying there on his chest. He smiled down at her body and wrapped his arm just a little bit tighter. Let her sleep, she'd had an exhausting night. Handling the paparazzi like a pro, insane meet-&-greet with her new cast, the bitch-slap heard round the world, and oh yeah, out of this world sex to top it all off. The woman definitely needed her rest, she'd more than earned it. But then, the urge to pee got too strong to ignore. Damn bodily functions to hell! He gently eased out from under her and the blankets and thought about pulling his boxers on for a second but decided against it. He'd spent the night naked in her bed, he could walk to her bathroom in the buff. But then he remembered Santana and the fact that he didn't know if she was home. He definitely didn't need that awkward hallway meeting on his record. _Good morning, I fucked your roommate last night, and this is what I used to do it._ Yeah, that was even awkward to think about. He quickly pulled his boxers up and made his way to the bathroom to take care of business.

Rachel's first thought when she woke up was _He left._ She sat up in the bed and looked around her bedroom, noticing Noah's pants on the floor where they'd been dropped the night before. She didn't think he would leave without his pants. She hadn't really thought he'd leave at all and she couldn't help the feeling of misery that had settled in her stomach when she woke up alone in her bed. She'd immediately felt just like the woman she'd slapped the night before, just a meaningless one-night stand. That was the exact reason why she'd originally been so against just sleeping with Noah. She wanted more than a one-night stand. She deserved more than a one-night stand.

Her door started to slowly open and she gathered the sheets up around her neck. When Noah saw her, he smirked and shook his head as he walked back over to the bed. When he reached the edge, he chuckled at the fact that she still had the sheets covering her body.

"You know, it's a little late for that. Not much I didn't see last night." He crawled under the covers and jerked the sheets out of her hands, laughing at her huff of indignation. Rachel blushed under his suddenly too intense gaze and reached for the sheet again. Puck then jerked the sheet completely away from her body, leaving her completely bare beside him. She gasped and stared back at him as he moved closer. When his face was an inch away from hers, she was startled a little at the feel of his hand trailing up her ribs, slowly inching towards her breast. In the same instance that his lips attached themselves to hers, he gently covered her breast with his palm. She moaned into his mouth which seemed to spur him on as he deepened the kiss. Puck moved so that he was on his knees with her beneath him and pressed his lips harder against hers. Rachel ran her fingers across his chest and moaned into his mouth. He was such an incredible kisser! He pulled back a little bit and nibbled her bottom lip. She stared up at him with a content smile on her face and he couldn't help but smile back.

"So, what's up," she asked after a second. Puck shrugged and rolled his hips down against hers.

"Can't you tell?" Rachel's eyes widened when she realized the only thing separating them was the soft cotton of his boxers. Feeling him pressed so close against her body brought back all of the memories from the night before. Her mind started flying around the moments leading up to them sleeping together. She wanted to know where they stood, but didn't want to scare him off. She battled with herself over what to say or what not to say, hating that she felt completely lost in this situation. She'd never had sex with someone she wasn't in a relationship with. But last night, she felt herself lose control and she loved it. He made her body feel things she'd never felt with any other man before, he knew how to get a desired reaction at exactly the right moment, and he'd done exactly that, many times.

Puck immediately noticed the blush stain her face and neck and rolled his eyes. How in the hell was she blushing after the night they'd had? He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. When she lost the spacey look in her eyes, he rose up and said,

"Quit it." The confused look on her face made him laugh out loud as he rolled on his side next to her. "You're over-thinking shit, I can tell. So quit it." She scoffed at him and rolled off the other side of the bed. He enjoyed the view as she stretched to pull a t-shirt over her head. She got a pair of panties from her dresser and stepped into them quickly. "Whatcha getting dressed for diva? I really liked the view." Rachel walked back over to the bed with her arms crossed and replied,

"Because Noah, I need to check on your shirt in the kitchen sink and pop it in the dryer." Just as she was about to turn away, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back with enough force to make her stumble over on top of him. He tucked her hair behind her ear as he stared up at her from her place across his lap.

"Screw the shirt. You're crazy if you think you're going anywhere today. Club's closed tonight, and I've got many more _unnerving_ talents to unleash on you." Rachel shot a stunned look at him and quirked her eyebrow.

"You're staying for the day?" He smirked at her and cheekily nodded his head.

"Hell yeah, I'm staying. You don't get a say in it either." She took that comment as a playful challenge and stood up over him in the bed. She pointed a tiny finger at the bedroom door and said,

"Get out." They both knew she wasn't serious but Puck started to move as though he were actually going to get off the bed and leave. But then he arched an eyebrow and got up on his knees in front of her. He heard her breath hitch a little as he pressed his lips to her stomach and then trailed down to her lace covered hipbone. He chuckled and moved back up to swirl his tongue around her navel. He ran his fingers up the backs of her legs and said,

"Try again babe." She swallowed thickly at the pool of moisture that had suddenly gathered between her thighs as a result of his actions. Rachel looked down at him and exhaled shakily.

"Get out?" He chuckled and nudged her legs a little further apart. Sliding his hand slowly up her inner thigh, he took in how incredibly toned she was. He hadn't had much time to notice the night before when he'd had her up close and _naked_. But now, he had her for an entire day and he planned on appreciating every perfect inch of her body. He slipped his finger across her panty-clad center and smiled at how wet she felt through the thin fabric.

"Not a chance diva." With the smallest flick of his wrists, he pulled the cloth down from her body. She gasped as he blew a little puff of air against her skin. He grinned and swiped the tip of his tongue along her slit, listening to the sharp breath she sucked in. He threw her leg over his shoulder to give himself better access and grabbed her other leg to steady her. He could feel her body shivering. Anticipation, he knew she wasn't cold.

When Rachel felt his tongue on her clit, her body betrayed her as she dug her heel into his back. She could feel him smiling against her skin as he worked, his mouth and tongue causing sensations she couldn't remember feeling, ever. His tongue entered her suddenly and she moaned into the room. It definitely hadn't seemed that long when she'd kissed him but he _kept_ _going_ _deeper_ inside. She pulsed around him and grasped at air for support. As if he knew she needed something to hold onto, he slid his hand up her thigh and opened his palm to her without missing a beat. She held on tightly as she felt her orgasm building, the coil inside tightening to within an inch of her life. He crooked his finger inside her just as his teeth scraped harshly against her clit. Rachel's breath left in a short quick gust as she screamed,

"Oh my god!" Puck pulled away for just a second to look up at her and smirked as he took in her flushed face and ragged breath. He knew she was close by the way her leg had tightened against his back. She kept moving up and down, riding his fingers as he continued to thrust up into her body. The fact that he knew _he_ was the reason for her cries, her moans, her pleasure, all made him dangerously hard within the confines of his boxers. But he realized that he didn't care so much about whether or not that situation was taken care of. Getting her off was what mattered at the moment. He moved his hand in hers so their fingers interlaced and pumped his fingers just a little quicker as he sucked the bundle of nerves into his mouth with a renewed fervor. Her moans continued to get louder the closer she got and then, all of a sudden, it felt like she was literally about to take his fingers off with how tight her body was clinching them. He didn't stop. Even as her grip on his hand tightened so much that he thought he might lose a few fingers on that hand as well, he kept going. He was pretty sure that everyone in her apartment complex knew that _Noah_ was amazing at fucking Rachel Berry's brains out; that was the only word that left her lips as she rode out her orgasm. When her screams finally began to subside, he sucked hard on her clit one more time, just for good measure, and smiled as her body continued to shake violently above him.

He waited patiently for her to come down from her high, feeling a smug sense of self-satisfaction that _he'd_ been the one to give it to her. Rachel loosened her grip on his shoulder but her fingers remained laced in his. He didn't really mind. He licked her clean of the juices she'd released during her orgasm and then backed up a little to look at her.

She smiled down at him and removed her leg from his shoulder. The second she placed it back on the bed however, her knee gave way and she stumbled. Puck caught her easily before she was able to fall and he gently lowered her down to the bed. He crawled up beside her and turned on his side to look at her. She looked thoroughly fucked. Rachel turned her head and stared at him for a second before she started laughing uncontrollably. Puck just ran his hands up her side and chuckled a little with her before he asked again,

"You still want me to leave?" Rachel started shaking her head.

"Well after that, I think it's only proper for me to repay your generosity." Puck couldn't help but grin at her as he leaned over and placed a wet kiss against her neck.

"I think we should probably get some food first. You're gonna need all the energy you can get because I'm not gonna let you rest until I'm done with you." Rachel quirked an eyebrow and rose up on the bed.

"You _plan_ on getting done with me?" Her lips were puckered in a playful pout but Puck wasn't ready to answer the serious question she posed, even if the answer was a reverberating 'fuck no!' So, he ignored her question altogether and sat up beside her.

"You have a text message. I didn't wanna wake you up before. You might wanna check that." Rachel looked over to where her phone was sitting on her bedside table and crawled up the bed to get it. She giggled at the appreciative groan from Noah behind her and looked over her shoulder to see him openly staring at her ass. That's when she remembered she didn't have any underwear on. When she reached her phone, she grabbed it and sat down on the edge of the bed. She scrolled through her texts and saw that the only unread one was a picture message from Santana, from earlier that morning. She opened the message and gasped at the picture that popped up on the screen.

There, on the screen of her cell phone, was her and Noah lying in her bed. Underneath the picture, the message read '_me & tina def approve! have fun with tony bitch love ya!_' Noah moved up the bed and sat beside her, looking over her shoulder at the phone in her hands.

"Is that a _West Side Story_ reference or did Santana forget my name?" Rachel laughed out loud when he said that, not sure if she should be surprised that he understood the reference or that he didn't seem freaked out by it.

"Not sure," she replied with a chuckle. "San's usually better with faces than names so there's no telling." Puck knew she was trying to be nonchalant about the fact that Santana had called him the Tony to Rachel's Maria. That was like, kind of a big deal. He briefly wondered why he wasn't freaking out about it as he looked back down at the photo on her phone.

"We look pretty hot," he commented. Rachel hummed in agreement and closed her phone. Puck leaned over and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

"So much for keeping last night a secret," she commented. Puck laughed darkly and laid back down on her bed with his hands behind his head.

"Babe, my kinda-sister is dating your best friend who just so happens to be your roommate too. Because of that, my best friend is probably gonna be spending some nights on my couch. So really, how long do you think it would've taken before someone found out?" Rachel laughed and laid down beside him, feeling his arm settle around her shoulders.

"I suppose you're right." They stayed that way for a little while until Puck's phone started ringing. He remembered that he'd left his phone in his pants pocket and rolled over on the bed to find his musical pants. When he finally found his phone, he saw that Mike was calling him. He opened it quickly and answered,

"Yeah dude?" He sat up as Mike started talking.

"Dude where are you? You were supposed to be at the club an hour ago. That dance crew has to set all of their crap up for tomorrow night. And where were you last night? You never came home so I ate all of your Cocoa Pebbles. Please don't tell me you were out screwing some broad you picked up in a bar. I've only got so much respect left for you." Puck hit his head with the palm of his hand and groaned.

"Shit, I totally forgot about that dude. Let me swing by the apartment, change clothes, and I'll be down there in a few." Just before he pulled the phone away from his ear, he smirked at Rachel and said, "Oh and dude, she's definitely not some broad." Before Mike could respond, Puck closed his phone with a chuckle.

"What was that about," Rachel asked, trying in vain to hide how disappointed she was that he seemed to be leaving.

"There's this dance crew that's gonna be performing at the club tomorrow night and I was supposed to be up there this morning to help with their set-up. You're kinda distracting though. Not my fault I forgot." Rachel laughed and shook her head.

"Your shirt isn't dry," she stated with a smile. He watched as she got up from the bed, which reminded him that she was still naked from the waist down, and walked over to the closet. She started digging through the closet for a few seconds before he heard a sound of triumph come from her lips as she pulled a large t-shirt with Harvard emblazoned across the front of it. "Here, it might me a little tight but it should work long enough for you to make it back to your apartment." Puck stood up from her bed and walked over to her, a little angry that she had men's clothing in her closet, and a little frustrated that he was angry about that. He pointed to the shirt and said,

"I'm not wearing something out of your ex pile!" Rachel laughed and shook her head as she thrust the shirt towards him.

"It's my dad's shirt you moron. I used to sleep in it when I was younger and I brought it with me when I moved to New York. It was comforting to me. Just wear it, I won't have you leaving my apartment shirtless." Puck took the shirt off of its hanger and pulled it over his head. It was a little tight but it fit okay. And she was right, he was only gonna be wearing it long enough to get to his apartment anyway. He stepped a little closer to her and placed his hands on her waist briefly before moving them around to cup her ass. He leaned down and caught her lips with his, easily slipping his tongue into her mouth. He pushed her back against the wall and deepened the kiss, feeling smug when she grabbed at his arms to pull him closer. He groaned when his fingers dug a little deeper into the soft bare flesh of her backside and pulled away.

"Fuck. Remind me again why I'm leaving." Rachel giggled and leaned her head back against the wall with a sigh.

"Because, regardless of the short time we've known each other, I know you care deeply about your business. I won't allow you to be distracted from that. You have work to do, so you should leave." Puck cocked his head to the side and smirked. He dipped his head to hers once more and nibbled a little on her bottom lip.

"It almost sounds like you want me to leave, diva. What's that about?" Rachel inhaled deeply before gently pushing him away.

"You forget that I'm an exceptional actress Noah." Puck laughed and watched as she put on her second pair of underwear of the morning. He scratched his head and walked around the bed to pick his pants up. As he pulled them on and zipped the fly, he noticed her lingering by her dresser silently chewing on her bottom lip. It was sexy and he was pretty sure that she wasn't even trying which only made it hotter.

Rachel wanted more than anything to ask him what all this meant, for them. She didn't want to freak him out and scare him off, mainly because she really wanted to see him again. He walked over to her and cupped her face in his hands.

"I'll be busy for the rest of the day and most of tomorrow probably so I won't be able to see you." Rachel nodded her head and Puck continued. "So uh, if you're not gonna be busy tomorrow night, you should come by. This crew is supposed to be pretty kickass according to Mike, and he's kind of an expert on all that stuff. Think about it and let me know." Rachel nodded again and followed him as he walked out of her room and into the living room, on his way to leave the apartment. When he reached the door, he turned around and quickly pulled her body against his, sweeping her up in a kiss she wasn't prepared for but willingly took. When he pulled away, she looked up at him with an arched brow.

"What was that for?" Puck leaned back down and whispered huskily in her ear,

"I'm not even in the fucking area code of being done with you babe. I'll see you later." Rachel's breath caught in her throat and she nodded, all she could really do at that point. He quickly placed his lips against hers before walking out into the hallway, hearing the door shut behind him.

Rachel slid down the door and pulled her knees to her chest. She felt giddy and weary at the same time. She still didn't know where she stood with Noah, but she didn't want to have that conversation yet. She knew his reputation, he spoke freely of it. She wanted him, that much was a given. But she wanted no part of his womanizing ways. She was a strong woman who wanted a man who could handle her and _only_ her. She wasn't sure if Puck, Noah, could ever be that man. And that doubt was enough to make her vow to only be friends with him, she had to end whatever they'd started before she got too involved. Rachel made up her mind that she would go back to the club, but only to let Noah know that she wouldn't sleep with him again.

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Mike watched as Puck helped the crew rearrange the club for the dance crew. He looked focused on something, and it sure as hell wasn't what he was working on. He'd been different ever since he showed up late, and wouldn't even talk about where he'd been. Mike knew exactly where his friend had spent the night. Tina had texted him a little after he hung up with Puck, with a nice little picture added for effect. Mike had been positive that Puck would've been a little lighter after his night with Rachel. But, he was back to his brooding ways. If anything, he was actually more _broodier_ than usual, which didn't make sense at all. When everyone decided to take a break, Mike walked over to his friend and stood beside him for a second before speaking.

"So, what's up with you?" He tried to sound indifferent about the situation, it came off as more curious than he'd intended. Puck eyed him for a minute out of the corner of his eye and figured 'what the hell'. He had a feeling Mike already knew because, let's face it, Tina couldn't keep her trap shut about something like this for long. He wouldn't be surprised if the next time his phone rang, it would be his mother asking about china patterns. He exhaled heavily and turned to face Mike on his barstool.

"I fucked Rachel." Mike chuckled and Puck looked like he was about to punch him in the face for doing so. "It's not funny dude." To that, Mike just laughed out loud at his friend.

"Is too! Because you're sitting here worrying about what you're gonna do about it. The fact that you're worrying at all just proves mine and Tina's point that you actually like her. Granted, we thought you'd at least attempt to date her before jumping her bones, but I guess you never did think well with your actual brain." Puck jerked to a standing position as his nostrils flared.

"I don't want to date her!" Even as the words, which tasted funny in his mouth, hung in the air between them, he knew they were a total lie. Mike raised an eyebrow and laughed again.

"That's bullshit and you know it. Answer this. Since we met Rachel, have you looked at another woman? Scratch that, have you even _thought_ about other women? Admit it dude. When I was talking to you yesterday about wanting to fool around with her, which I don't, you were about two seconds away from punching me through your apartment door. You don't like the idea of Rachel being with anyone else and that's more than just you being possessive. You like her, get over it. Question is, what are you gonna do about it? For all she knows, she's just another of your one-night stands that you so happily boast about all the fucking time and nothing's stopping her from accepting a date from one of her acting buddies in her play when they ask. And dude, have you seen her? They _will_ ask." Puck hated the way Mike saw through him. He hated that he was right, about everything. The thought of Rachel going on a date with another guy made him sick. He didn't even want to think about her sleeping with anyone else. He ran his hands over his head and stared at the floor.

"I haven't had a girlfriend since high school. I suck at relationships dude. What if I fuck it all up?" Mike laughed and placed a hand on Puck's shoulder.

"Dude, you will." Puck shoved Mike's hand off of his shoulder and started to walk away, mumbling something about how Mike was fucking up as a friend. Mike just laughed at him and caught up to him. "I'm just saying man, you probably will mess up. But Rachel's pretty fucking awesome to put up with you in the first place so I'm pretty sure she can handle it. Plus, you got me, Tina, and San to make sure you don't screw it all up royally. Just grow a pair and ask her out dumbass." Puck thought about it for a second and nodded curtly.

"Fine, I'll ask her out." The look of triumph on Mike's face annoyed the hell out of Puck. He wanted to smack it right off his friend's face.

"Great! I'll call your mom and we'll have the wedding all arranged. Do you know if Rachel likes orchids or daisies better? Becca can be the flower girl. Ooh, Rachel's dads can give her away!" Mike laughed so hard he felt like he might be asthmatic. He was hunched over, practically wheezing, when Puck suddenly yanked him up by the shoulders and lowered a glare on him so menacing, Mike choked on his next laugh.

"I swear, one more word about my mom and I'll punch you in the man-gina you've developed. Crazy Jew Mother does _not_ find out about Rachel. Last thing I need is mom scaring Rachel off before I even get the chance to fuck the relationship up." He loosened his grip on Mike's shoulder and laughed bleakly. "What the fuck is going on with me? I'm already calling it a _relationship_! I'm using the word _relationship_! Fuck, just kill me now. Use your ninja powers and kill me now." Mike assumed it was safe to resume his laughing and shrugged off Puck's hand with a chuckle.

"And risk the wrath of the diva? You've lost your damn mind. She's tiny but she looks like she could hit pretty hard." At that, Puck remembered the bitch-slap heard 'round the world and shook his head with a smile.

"Dude, you're never gonna believe what she did last night!"

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Rachel watched the dance crew on the floor. They were amazing! She'd seen them in Central Park a few times and was always awestruck at the way they moved their bodies. The stories they told with their choreography, the way they used the undercurrent of the music instead of just the top, the way they seemed like a single unit and individuals all at the same time, it never failed to blow her mind. She couldn't help swaying a little to the music as her eyes never left the floor. The crew was absolutely enthralling with every step they took. She almost didn't notice the warm body that sidled up next to her.

"Can we talk," he asked. Rachel turned her head to see a pair of dark hazel eyes looking down at her. She inhaled sharply, taking in his alluring scent. His fingers slid up her arm and she felt the goose bumps break out all over her body. She had to remember the real reason she'd come to the club, to tell Noah that she didn't want to be a one-night stand and that she deserved a man who could handle being in a relationship with her. And that she just didn't think that he was that man, or was even interested in being that man. But every time his calloused fingers passed over her skin, the words left her mind and her resolve lost its focus. She nodded her head and allowed him to take her hand.

Puck started breathing a little quicker as he pulled Rachel down the hall to his office. He knew what he wanted to say, he just wasn't exactly sure how to bring it up. When he opened his office door, Rachel walked over to the window and stared back at the dancers still on the floor. She heard him clear his throat and smiled to herself.

"You never told me that the dance crew was going to be The Cat Reads My Diary. I love them! The way they move is beautiful." Puck came around the desk and stood beside her at the window.

"I think Mike's got a thing for that blonde one, their leader. I think her name's Brittany. She came in this morning to make sure everything was set up right and he had a dopey look on his face for the rest of the day. It was pretty pathetic." Rachel laughed and watched as the blonde moved among her crew. She was exceptionally talented.

"They're both dancers, so I'm sure they'll hit it off. Do you think he'll talk to her?" Puck just shrugged in response and shuffled a little closer to her.

"I dunno." At that moment, Rachel turned away from the window and faced him. "So um, about that talk?" Suddenly, Rachel's gaze hardened and it kind of messed with him a bit. She stepped away from him and walked back around the desk, out of reach.

"Yes Noah, about what happened the other night, that can't happen again. I don't sleep with men unless I'm in a relationship with them and you certainly don't want to be tied down to one woman. I'm an admittedly emotional person and because of that, I would be unable to separate the physical from the emotional after an extended point of time. Therefore, a 'friends with benefits' situation would not be acceptable for me. I think we would best work out as friends and just forget that the other night even happened." Puck listened to her little rant, and it pissed him off. He placed his hands down on the hard wood surface of his desk and leaned towards her.

"First of all," he started, "don't tell me what I want and don't want. Second of all, I don't want to be your damn _friend_. Third of all, I couldn't forget the other night if I wanted to." He watched her eyes as he spoke. Surprise at his first point, hurt at his second, and guarded at this third. She didn't start talking immediately so he continued. "Look Rachel, I've never been in a real relationship with anybody. I don't usually even say the word, it's like Voldemort or something." She giggled and the sound made him smile. "I just, since I met you, it doesn't bother me so much anymore." He heard her sharp intake of breath but he wasn't really sure if that was a good or bad thing. He stood up straight and walked around the desk until he was standing in front of her.

"What are you saying Noah?" Puck groaned out loud. He'd been hoping that somehow she'd understand what he was trying to say without him actually having to say it out loud. Didn't seem like that was gonna be the case.

"Fuck! I don't know. Look, I like you alright? I like hanging out with you and every time we've seen each other, we've had fun. And Mike pointed out yesterday that I haven't slept with anybody since I met you. You know, except you. And I've seen plenty of hot chicks. But then I started comparing them to you and they were all wrong. This is a big fucking deal. I don't want you seeing other guys and I understand that I have no right to tell you that you can't date anybody but it really bothers me so," he paused to take a breath and realized that he'd probably never spoken this much in his life. "Go on a date with me." Rachel looked surprised again when he said that. She definitely wasn't expecting that.

"Noah, you can't say things you don't mean." He immediately pulled her closer. She resisted at first but then he felt her give in.

"I mean it. Go out with me tomorrow. I'll take you out to lunch or dinner or whatever you want. I wasn't kidding when I said that I'm not done with you. The other night was, it was, it was fucking awesome. We're good together and I'm not willing to give that shit up. If I was gonna joke about something, it sure as hell wouldn't be about dating you." Rachel's mind was going ninety to nothing. This was certainly not how she'd pictured the conversation going. When she remembered the group breakfast the week before, she could vividly recount every time Noah mentioned hating dating and relationships.

"You don't date Noah. And I don't need my heart broken right before I'm about to start the biggest role of my life. Give me one reason to believe why you suddenly want to break in to the dating scene, _with me_." Puck reached around Rachel and moved her so she was standing between his legs.

"Did you not listen to a damn word I just said? I'm not asking you for a kidney. I'm asking you on a date, one date. If it goes bad, fine. We'll just be friends. But if it goes good, you let me take you out again." Rachel still didn't look as convinced as he would've liked her to be. He rolled his eyes and stood up from his desktop. She let out a short gasp when he reached up and cupped her face in his hands.

The second Rachel felt his lips on hers, she melted into his arms. She couldn't help it. His kiss was gentle and unhurried, his tongue lazily stroking hers as his hands held her in place. It was like he had all the time in the world and it was amazing. Rachel's mouth automatically moved in time with his, keeping it slow and sensual. After a minute or two had passed, they both pulled away and stared at each other for a little bit before Puck spoke.

"There's your reason diva."

"Yes," she breathed after a second. He smiled a genuine smile and chuckled.

"You'll do it?" Rachel rolled her eyes and lightly hit his shoulder, nodding her head.

"I'm not really sure how you expect me to say no after that. Especially since I already know what you're capable of." Puck took pride in the fact that her breath had quickened because he knew she was thinking of their night together. He smirked, then he rubbed his thumb against her cheek for a second and laughed.

"Babe, you haven't even seen half of what I'm capable of." Rachel's cheek warmed under his palm as he stared into her eyes.

"So, our first date?" Puck balked a little which confused her. "What," she asked.

"This is so not our first date." Rachel shook her head as her stomach twisted in her gut. He wouldn't play with her like this, he couldn't.

"But, you just said," she was cut off by his laugh, warm and comforting.

"The other night, that was our first date. I picked you up, we came together, there was food, we left." A sinister smirk went across his face and his eyes flashed with mischief. "And then we came again, a couple of times." Rachel couldn't help laughing at his horrid joke. She nodded her head thoughtfully and tapped her finger against her chin.

"I definitely broke some 'first date' rules then." Puck responded with a chuckle but pulled her closer. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up into his eyes. "So, second date then. Where are we going?" Puck twitched his nose a little and chuckled nervously. She grinned. "You have no idea, do you?" Puck shrugged his shoulders in a ridiculously adorable manner that made him look ironically innocent.

"Hey, I'm making this up as I go." Rachel laughed a little harder and shook her head playfully. "My main objective was to get you to go out with me. This way, we'll both be surprised." She couldn't really do anything but smile back at him.

"Am I to expect this laissez-faire attitude about everything now?" Puck's head dropped slightly and his brows furrowed.

"_Laissez-faire_? Do you eat a dictionary every day? I bet you have one of those 'word of the day' calendars don't you? You know, you're kind of a dork." Rachel played out like she was offended and pushed at his shoulders. He just held onto her waist tighter. "You know, a hot dork. Like a librarian or something." Rachel started laughing again. When she smiled back at him, he couldn't help but return the gesture.

"Can we go back downstairs now? I really want to see the dance crew again. They're spectacular." Puck nodded his head and transferred his hand from her waist to her hand.

"Come on." Puck led her back down into the club, feeling a little lighter than before. He got a couple beers for him and Rachel then found Mike on the dancefloor, dancing with the blonde from the crew. He laughed when Rachel clapped her hands in front of her face as she saw them together.

Later that night, when he was trying to fall asleep in his own bed, he realized that he'd already fucked himself over. He'd told Rachel that if their date didn't go well, she didn't have to go out with him again. He couldn't risk that. He had to make sure that their date kicked so much ass, that she'd forget every other date she'd ever been on. Puck sat straight up in his bed and rubbed his temple.

He needed to call in some back-up.


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n: hello guys! This morning, I re-read all of the reviews for this story so far and I'm still blown away! You guys are amazing, I really can't say that enough. I hope you like this chapter. I had an excessive amount of fun writing it so please like it haha! This is the big date, so I hope I don't let anybody's expectations down. It's another long chapter so don't hate me for that! Anyway, on with the story! I don't own glee, or Bria Valente's song "Elixir". Read and review! IMPORTANT A/N AT BOTTOM!**

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Santana sat down at the kitchen table and stared at her bacon and eggs. It smelled amazing! She looked up at Rachel and grinned. She had the _best_ best friend in the world.

"You're a really bad Jew Rach," she commented casually just as she stuffed a piece of bacon in her mouth. Rachel just laughed at her and sat down at the table with her breakfast. Santana almost spewed her eggs when Rachel made a big goofy show out of eating her bacon that made her want to laugh. They giggled for a few minutes before continuing with their breakfast. "So, where'd you go last night? I was in bed when you got home." She noticed Rachel blush a little and ventured a guess. "_Did_ you sleep here last night?" Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I went back to the club. You know how I told you that I was going to tell Noah that we could only be friends? Well, it didn't exactly work out that way." Santana's eyes grew wide before she let out a deafening squeal.

"Did you sleep with Puck again? You slept with Puck again! This is awesome! You two look so cute together. I have to call Tina. She's gonna be so excited about this!" Rachel reached over and slapped Santana on the shoulder.

"Would you calm down? I did not sleep with him again. And stop talking to your girlfriend about my, whatever this is with Noah." She paused for a second and worried her bottom lip. "He asked me out on a date." Santana scrunched up her face and sat back in her chair.

"But I thought he hated dating?" Rachel just nodded her head. Santana smiled, realizing how deep his feelings for Rachel seemed to run already. Tina and Mike were right. Puck really did like her. She was just trying to get her friend laid, but Puck really liked her. Rachel must be amazing in bed if she had a total womanizer chasing after her after only one night together. She briefly mourned the fact that she'd probably never get a chance to test that theory. But then, she immediately thought of Tina and, with a smile, didn't really mind that fact so much. She looked back at Rachel and smirked. "So, where is he taking you?" Rachel shrugged.

"I have no clue." At that moment, Santana's phone started to ring on the table and she looked at the number. Why was Puck calling her this early in the morning?  
"Hello," she answered.

"Is Rachel there?" Her eyes flitted to Rachel for a second before she tentatively answered,

"Yeah. What do you want P"

"Don't say my name," he interrupted. "I don't want her to know I called. Just let me know when you're in a different room." Santana furrowed her brow and motioned to Rachel that she was going to her room for a second. When she got down the hallway and closed the door, she snapped into the phone,

"You dumbass, don't yell at me. Why are you calling me?" She heard him exhale heavily.

"I asked Rachel out last night." Santana brought the arm that wasn't holding her phone across her body and walked over to her bed.

"Duh, if you're calling to ask permission, I'd say you're a little late seeing as how you already railed her. Congratulations on that by the way." Puck just shook his head and couldn't help but laugh.

"Shut it Lopez. I need your help." Santana sat down on the bed and stared at the wall for a second. Puck's voice sounded funny when tinged with desperation. She almost felt sorry for him.

"What? You already got her to agree to go out with you when she had every intention of breaking all ties to you but friendship. I'd say you're doing pretty good so far." He exhaled heavily again and she laid back on her bed.

"Well, I told her that if our date today didn't go all that great, I would agree to be friends. If it goes good though, she has to go out with me again." Santana smirked into the receiver as she understood what he was doing completely. She'd done the exact same thing with Tina, using Mike.

"Aha, so you're enlisting the help of the best friend to ensure you don't fuck it up too bad. This is killing you isn't it?" He didn't like the tone in her voice, mocking and snide. But then, when he thought about it, he'd probably sound the exact same way if someone had requested the same thing of him.

"Yes. Are you gonna help me or not?" Santana just laughed heartily into the phone and replied,

"I guess I can. You're gonna owe me though." Puck grumbled into the receiver and she took that as an agreement. "What are you planning for your hot date?" His silence in reply made her roll her eyes and scoff at him. "You are a dumbass Puck. What kind of a guy asks a girl out on a date without having the slightest clue of what he's going to do with that girl on said date? I know what kind of guy. Apparently a dumbass! What's wrong with you?" Puck grumbled again but snapped back,

"Hey, I was more worried about getting her to agree to go out with me in the first place! She went on this rant about how we could only be friends and how she didn't think I wanted to be tied down. She shot the whole 'friends with benefits' thing down pretty quick but I wasn't gonna ask for that anyway. Look, I know I should have thought this whole thing through a little more but she was about to walk away from something and I just reacted." Something he said stirred Santana a little and she sat up.

"What was she about to walk away from Puck?" She heard him mutter something about her being a manipulative bitch but it just made her laugh. "If you don't say it, I'm hanging up the phone and you can screw the date up all by yourself."

"She was gonna walk away from me, okay? From us. It pissed me off that she was ready to just cut me out after the _other night_. I had to make sure she couldn't do that." Santana suddenly felt torn between her deep loyalty to Rachel and the sympathy she felt for Puck. She'd lived most of her life moving from one short-lived relationship to another, never really caring too much about feelings and shit. But then she'd met Tina and all that changed in a crazy tiny amount of time. She could relate to Puck in that sense completely.

"Rach doesn't do anything half-assed. You seemed pretty proud of the fact that the longest relationship you've ever had depended on how late you slept the next day." She was paraphrasing of course but it meant the same thing anyway. "That scares her Puck. Because, when she gives herself to someone, she gives her whole self. And she expects, and deserves, the same in return. She's had one too many cases where the guy didn't exactly do that and it's made her guard herself. My guess is she was willing to cut off all ties to you before she started caring too much, before you got enough of her to actually hurt her." Puck blinked and breathed out. Santana's speech scared the ever-loving shit out of him, but not in the way he expected it to. It didn't scare him _off_, it scared him that he might actually hurt her without meaning to.

"I'm not gonna hurt her Lopez. Just tell me how to not fuck this date up so I can see her again."

After about twenty minutes, Rachel didn't think Santana was coming back so she put the remainder of her breakfast in the microwave so it wouldn't get too cold. She quickly placed her empty plate in the sink and was rinsing it off when she heard Santana's door close. She walked back into the main room at the end of the hallway and saw Santana coming back from her room.

"You were on the phone for a while San. Was it Tina?" Santana laughed and shook her head as she went back into the kitchen to retrieve her breakfast. She brought it back out and joined Rachel on the couch, still not answering her as she stuffed her cold eggs into her mouth. "Was it the agency? Do you have a shoot today or something?" Santana saw an out and took it.

"Yeah, I've got to meet with a designer to coordinate the correct lighting for the model. The dress is blue and the model has red hair but for some reason, they want to use yellow backlighting for the shoot." Santana got off the couch but not before Rachel snickered. She turned back around and looked at Rachel still sitting on the couch.

"Bullshit San, why are you lying to me about a phone call?" The deceptively innocent tone Rachel took was kind of scary. She crossed her arms and went into defensive mode.

"Why do you think I'm lying?" Rachel laughed haughtily and replied,

"You always give too much information when you're lying. If you were telling the truth, your answer would've been more along the lines of 'something for work'. Now, who was it on the phone that you feel you have to keep from your best friend, a friend who has been there for you since we were little girls who would never keep something from you." Santana was about to tell her to save the Jewish mother guilt trip for her actual children, but decided against it.

"It was Puck, okay? That's all I'm telling you. Go get dressed. He's picking you up for lunch." Rachel's face scrunched up and Santana laughed at her.

"Shouldn't _he_ be telling me when he's picking me up?" Before Santana got the chance to answer, Rachel's cell phone came to life.

_"Let your life be a dream. Integrity, honesty, it's too late for me. Don't look back, 'til you're free to chase the morning."_ Santana eyed Rachel's phone with a smirk on her face. A little over a week and Puck already had his own ringtone in her phone.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess that that's him doing just that. Are you gonna pick up or not?" Rachel walked over to the kitchen table and picked up her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rach, I'll be there at eleven to pick you up. Wear something comfortable." Rachel stammered for a second and then said,

"Wait, aren't you telling me where we're going?" She heard him laugh heartily over the phone.

"Nope. Wondering about something for two hours isn't gonna kill you diva. I'll be the one knocking on the door. Bye Berry."

"Goodbye Noah." Rachel closed her phone and set it back on the table before turning back to Santana. "Do you know where he's taking me?" Santana nodded her head with a sinister grin and laughed.

"Yes, and before you ask, I'm not gonna tell you so don't bother. Just go get dressed." Rachel grumbled but knew the tone in Santana's voice. There was no point in arguing with her so she rolled her eyes and walked down the hallway to the bathroom to take a shower.

**

* * *

**

When Puck knocked on the apartment door two hours later, he was expecting someone (Rachel hopefully) to open the door and then he and Rachel would leave for their date. Instead, when he knocked on the door, Tina of all people answered. He stared for a second at the woman standing in front of him, wondering what the hell she was doing there.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Tina started laughing and walked back over to the couch where Santana was seated.

"I love you too Puck!" Both women started giggling as he walked into the room, his eyes scanned for Rachel but she was nowhere to be found. "_That's_ what you're wearing? You don't really worry about making an impression do you?" Puck just grumbled in her direction and looked down at his open plaid shirt, Led Zeppelin t-shirt, and jeans.

"What are you, my mother? Yes this is what I'm wearing." Tina laid her head over on Santana's shoulder and rolled her eyes at him. Suddenly, he got a little bit nervous, which was stupid because he'd already slept with her. He walked into the kitchen to get some water. When he turned around, Tina and Santana were standing in the doorway, staring at him. "What the hell you two? Lopez, did she teach you her ninja tricks? Where's Rachel so we can leave?" Just then, he heard a door shut and Rachel's voice from the hallway.

"San, Tina, where is he? He said he would be here at eleven and he's not here. I just checked my phone and he hasn't texted or called me. What if he's backed out? What if he decided that I'm too much to handle?" Puck watched as both Santana and Tina rolled their eyes and turned to leave the kitchen. Rachel's little diatribe kept getting higher in pitch and less understandable as she continued. Puck placed his water glass in the sink and stepped out of the kitchen. When he saw Rachel, he kind of had to swallow a few times because his mouth went dry. That didn't really make a lot of sense because he literally just got through drinking.

Rachel was standing there in a pair of dark jeans that hugged every delicious curve he'd already seen and wanted to see again. She was wearing a purple t-shirt and her dark hair was up in a ponytail. He could only see her side profile because Santana was saying something to her that she wasn't actually listening to because she had yet to shut up. Suddenly, Santana slapped her lightly on her cheek and turned her around so that she was facing him. He smirked and stepped a little closer. Rachel turned her head and glared at Santana.

"You said you would come and get me when he arrived," she hissed. Santana just laughed and replied,

"But it was so much more fun this way." Both Santana and Tina gently pushed her in Puck's direction and she stumbled a little. Puck rushed forward to catch her but she'd already regained her balance by the time he got to her. He ignored the knowing looks the yentas were giving him and looked down at Rachel, who hadn't noticed his attempt to save her from a total face-plant.

"You wanna get outta here," he asked as his hand reached up to brush a strand of hair out of her face. Rachel groaned and looked behind her.

"Yes please, the yentas are starting to annoy me and there's not even a full Jew between the two of them." Puck released a loud laugh at the fact that Rachel had pretty much made the exact same joke he'd made all the time growing up. When they were teenagers, he called Tina a half-blood ninja because she was only half-Jewish. It had always made her eyes widened with anger. He watched as she glared a little at Rachel but started laughing when Santana whispered something in her ear. Rachel turned back to him and smiled. "Come on, let's go." He nodded towards the door and placed his hands on her waist to turn her around. Just as the apartment door was shutting, Santana yelled,

"Use protection!" Rachel laughed and shook her head. Puck walked beside her to the elevator. Once the doors closed, Rachel turned to him and said,

"Alright, tell me where we're going." Puck just laughed at her and kept his mouth shut. Rachel huffed beside him and crossed her arms. "You know, for a guy on a date, you're being really mean." He laughed again and looked down at her.

"For an adult, you're being whiny." Her mouth dropped open and he couldn't stop laughing. She reached over and pinched him on the bicep. "Hey ow! Now who's being mean?"

Rachel didn't like surprises. The only time she made an exception was for her birthday or awards shows and this was neither.

"Can you at least tell me if I'll like it or not?" Puck just smirked at her. Before she knew it, he had her boxed in the corner of the elevator with his arms blocking her from going anywhere.

"I made you a deal that if this date didn't go well you'd never have to go out with me again. Why in the hell would I pick something for us to do that you wouldn't like?" He was so close, and Rachel really just wanted to lean in and kiss him. She could remember what his body felt like pressed into hers and it'd been far too long since she'd felt that. And then it hit her. He was actually worried that she was going to hold him to their deal and he'd obviously went to some sort of lengths with Santana to make sure that she would in fact enjoy their date. That made her decision for her. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. When she felt his hands tighten their grip on her hips, she threaded her fingers through his short hair and pulled him even closer. They were so wrapped up in each other that the dinging of the opening elevator door didn't even break them apart. Suddenly, Puck felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He knew it couldn't be Rachel because he could feel both of her hands on the back of his head. As gently as possible, he pulled away from her lips. She looked around him and suddenly her hand flew to her mouth. When he turned around, he was met with a glare from a very irritated looking old lady.

"Miss Berry, I presume that this is Noah?" Both Rachel and Puck wore matching expressions of confusion. Rachel got her bearings back before Puck did and replied,

"Um, yes, Mrs. Goldberg, this is Noah. Noah, Mrs. Goldberg lives in the apartment below Santana's and mine." Puck watched a look of complete horror come across Rachel's face but he didn't understand why. He also didn't know why or how the old lady knew his name. "We'll just be going Mrs. Goldberg. Have a nice day." And with that, Rachel grabbed Puck's hand and practically yanked his arm out of its socket getting him out of the elevator. She didn't let go until they were outside the building and she was leaning against the wall with her face in her hands. The sounds she was making, he couldn't really be sure if she was laughing or crying. He tentatively placed his hand on her shoulder and asked,

"Hey, are you okay?" Rachel inhaled deeply and looked up at Puck with a grin on her face. He took that as a good sign.

"Noah, think back to the last time you were in my apartment. Now ask yourself this. How would someone who lives in my building, who's never met you before, know your name?" Puck thought back to the last time he'd been in her apartment and smiled. He'd fucked her to the point where the only thing she could say was his, oh, _that's_ how the old bat knew his name. He started laughing so hard when he realized it that he had to lean against the wall next to Rachel. Rachel hit him playfully on the arm and tried to sound convincing when she scolded him with, "It's not funny Noah!" Puck just turned his head towards and grinned.

"Keep screaming my name babe, that's what got you into this mess to start with." She slapped his shoulder when he continued to laugh.

"Shut _up_! I will turn around and walk right back into that building right now if you don't stop laughing this instant Noah Puckerman." Puck's laughter slowed but didn't stop completely and he stepped closer to Rachel. A smile she was trying to hide played on her face and it made him grin as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Go ahead," he breathed against her cheek. "I'll just follow you. Maybe we'll give the old bat lady another show. Maybe we'll take a ride on the elevator just to make sure everybody in the building knows my name." She sucked in a breath and he smiled. "Maybe, just maybe, we'll go make a little noise and see how comfortable Santana and Tina are with other peoples' sexuality." Rachel released a tense laugh that ended up sounding more like a moan and Puck was reminded of how much he liked that sound, and how long it had been since he'd heard it from her lips.

Suddenly, a police car speeding by with the siren on brought them both back down to earth. Rachel placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed him out of her space. Puck cleared his throat and backed up just far enough to let Rachel step away from the wall. He laughed at the blush on her face and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, let's go." Rachel groaned beside him and he looked down at her furrowed brow.

"You still won't tell me what we're doing!" Her increasing frustration just made him laugh harder as he ushered her to the edge of the street and hailed a cab. The yellow taxi pulled to a quick stop at the curb and Rachel reached out to open the door. She slid in and Puck followed. He watched her as he told the cabbie their destination. "We're going to Central Park?" He'd known the second that Santana had suggested Central Park that that was where he needed to take Rachel. He knew from being around her that music was a huge part of her life, that was actually one of his favorite things about her, so he knew that their date had to have music involved somehow. Musicians were always playing in the park. He figured they could walk around, watch a few performers, she inevitably would talk a hell of a lot, then they'd go to lunch where she would talk more. He knew what he hoped would happen after that but he sure as hell wasn't gonna say anything about it. She was already jumpy about dating him in the first place because he happened to have diarrhea of the mouth when it came to bragging about his conquests. So on this date, he planned on doing what he always did, not talking and let the girl carry the conversation. The main difference was that he actually planned on listening to Rachel, unlike the other women whom he only pretended to listen to until he managed to get their clothes off. Rachel was different, and when she talked, something interesting was usually coming out.

"Is that alright with you," he asked with a smirk. Knowing where they were going seemed to calm her down a little bit as she nodded her head. With a content smile on her lips, she leaned over and rested her head on Puck's shoulder. For a second, both of them wondered why they were so comfortable with each other already. Technically, this was only a second date. They each pushed the thought from their minds however and looked out the window.

Traffic actually wasn't that bad that day so the taxi stopped within a few minutes not far from an entrance to the park. Rachel opened the door and got out onto the sidewalk. Puck got out and paid the driver before joining her. When Rachel felt him standing behind her, she smirked and turned to face him.

"So, what are we going to be doing at the park?" Puck looked down at her and laughed.

"Geez diva, you gotta know everything don't you?" Rachel just shrugged but her smirk stayed in place.

"It's something I'm used to. I'm still waiting for the Broadway Stars edition of Jeopardy so I can go on and kick some ass. I'm pretty amazing Noah." Puck kept laughing but Rachel continued. "So, are you going to tell me what we're doing here or not?" Puck wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"We're walking Rach, that's what we're doing. Don't worry about the rest." The tone in his voice was the same as Santana's when she was through with a subject. He was stubborn, so she decided not to push it.

"If I ask a question that's not about the itinerary of the date, will you give me a straight answer?" Puck thought for a second. She was pulling him into the conversation, that wasn't part of the plan. But, he figured one question couldn't hurt so he nodded his head. "Okay, what do you normally do on dates?" Puck shook his head.

"Cheater! That's the same question, just a vague version." Rachel shook her head right back at him and pulled away to cross her arms. Puck just replied, "Besides, I told you before, I don't date. Last real one was probably in college and I took this girl in my music theory class out for drinks after a concert we had to go to for class. And, if I remember right, that date actually sucked. The girl was hot but she turned into a total bitch once she started talking. I couldn't stand to be around her anymore so I blew her off. We never spoke after that. Actually, I think she started screwing the professor." Rachel's mouth fell open and he wasn't sure if it was because of what he'd just said or because of his little speech as a whole. "Alright, your turn. What do you normally do on dates?" Rachel stopped walking and turned to face him with her hand held out in front of her. He cocked his eyebrow.

"Give me your iPod," she said simply. Puck just stared at her for a second too long and she huffed out a breath. "I'm serious Noah, let me see it." He pulled his iPod out of his pocket and placed it in her hand. She immediately did the same with hers, placing it in his now empty palm. Then she turned and walked farther into the park, towards one of the benches on the edge of the sidewalk. He followed her and stood in front of her for a second before she finally looked up at him.

"Are you gonna tell me why I handed over my iPod?" She smiled and nodded to the seat beside her. He sat down and stared at her.

If there was anything more important than life itself, it was music. Rachel had actually called off dates before they even really started because of the little exercise she was about to perform with Noah. Because music was such a monumental part of her life, she couldn't stand to be with someone who didn't share in that love. If she didn't have musical chemistry with someone, she couldn't bear the thought of a relationship with them. The fact that Noah seemed so frustrated with his iPod being out of his possession made her happy. Music was evidently a large part of his life, he'd gone to school for it, but she wanted to see if their tastes were anything alike.

"Because, Noah, you asked me what I normally do on dates. This is what I do." Puck exhaled and looked down at the purple iPod in his hands. "To see if I have musical chemistry with someone, which by the way is just as important as sexual chemistry, I look into their musical tastes. So, I trade musical devices with whoever I'm with and look through their collection." He smirked at her and chuckled.

"You're a music dork," he laughed. She rolled her eyes and bit her lip as she looked down at the iPod in her hands as she scrolled through his artists.

"But you said I was a hot dork last night, like a librarian," she commented casually. He turned his head back to her and saw the smirk on her full mouth. He did say that. He fully stood by himself saying that. He figured he might as well look through her stuff too. As he was scrolling down the ginormous list of artists and composers on her iPod, she gasped beside him. "You have the soundtrack to _Sweeny_ _Todd_! The original production and the movie soundtrack! Oh my god, _Fiddler_ _on_ _the_ _Roof_! And _Chicago_!" His immediate response was defensive mode.

"So what! _Sweeny Todd_ and _Chicago_ are badass and _Fiddler on the Roof_ is because my mom made me see it all the damn time as a kid." Rachel just laughed beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Noah, I think it's wonderful that you," but he wasn't listening, not fully. Something on her iPod caught his eye. He'd skipped over to the playlists because really, those are the songs you listen to the most, and the name of one piqued his interest entirely. It was titled 'Playtime'. As he scrolled through the list of songs, he realized just what _playtime_ meant. Lil' Wayne's 'Lollipop' was the first on the list. A little farther down was 'Closer' by Nine Inch Nails quickly followed by 'Sex Therapy' by Robin Thicke. Some chick named Bria Valente had a song titled 'Here Eye Come' and that _definitely_ sounded like a song he needed to hear. His eyes were wide as he stared down at the iPod in his hands. He was looking at Rachel's _sex_ playlist!

Rachel leaned over to see what had made him zone out. When she realized what he was looking at, she couldn't help laughing a little. Her laugh startled him a little and he turned his head to face her again.

"You, you, you have a," he stuttered off and she laughed again.

"A playlist for sex, yes Noah, I do. Is that a problem?" The only problem in Puck's mind was that he wasn't fucking her to that playlist _right there_ on the park bench!

"Uh, um, no, I'm good." Rachel giggled and turned back to the iPod in her fingers. She'd already been a little surprised by the fact that Noah had the musical genre fairly well represented on his iPod. His iPod was the male equivalent of hers. There wasn't really a genre that she knew of that wasn't there in her hands. It was stunning. She definitely had musical chemistry with him, and that made her want to jump him in the middle of the park! She heard a shocked chuckle escape his lips and she turned to him once more.

"What," she quirked.

"You got everything on here! It's kinda weird, I wasn't expecting half of that." Rachel smiled at him and nodded her head.

"Well I'm a firm believer in the saying 'the more you love music, the more music you love'. I must say, I wasn't expecting such a wide variety from you either. It's refreshing." Puck grinned back at her and they traded back. When the iPods were securely back in their owners' pockets, Puck stood up and held his hand out to her.

"Come on, there's this Cuban kid that plays guitar you gotta hear. His spot's just up here." Rachel took his hand with a smile and stood up beside him.

"So," she started, "how did you get into musicals?" He shot her a skeptic glance before turning his head back forward.

"I'm not into _musicals_. I'm into _music_. My mom made me take piano when I was little. I started guitar when I was ten and I've been playing ever since. The community theatre in my home town put on _Fiddler_ so, naturally, my Crazy Jew mother made me and my little sister go and see it. I hated it. But the whole concept of it, telling a story through music, that's what made me like the idea of them better." Rachel smiled up at him. That was an amazing answer that she certainly hadn't been expecting from him. He kept surprising her and she loved it. "When I moved to New York, I made a deal with my mom and my sister that whenever they came to visit, I would take them to a show. My sister happened to be on a Disney kick one time so I took her to see _Beauty & the Beast_." Rachel laughed and suddenly thought of something she'd been keeping in the back of her mind since they all had breakfast together that one morning.

"Noah, would you play for me?" Puck stopped in his tracks.

"What?"

"I would like to hear you play guitar sometime. Mike was very adamant about your superiority on the instrument and to get into college on a scholarship for an instrument, one must be exceptionally talented at said instrument. It makes a girl curious. You might as well agree, because I'm telling you right now that I won't stop asking until you give in. When I want something, I'm kind of ruthless. I want to hear you play." And suddenly, Puck knew, should he ever be in doubt for some apocalyptic reason, exactly how to gain entrance into Rachel's pants. He smirked at her and leaned down to whisper in her ear,

"Sure, I've been dying to see what kind of panties you're wearing today anyway. When I play, they're gonna be dripping babe." Rachel just laughed and pushed him away from her.

"You're disgusting," she quipped. Puck just grinned back at her and wrapped his arm around her waist before he continued walking.

They walked in silence until they came upon the young boy Puck had spoken of earlier. Rachel stared in awe of the child behind the guitar. The instrument practically dwarfed him but he played with such skill that it didn't matter. An older gentleman was standing off to the side and Rachel assumed it was the boy's father. As soon as the song he was playing ended, the little boy started running over to where Puck and Rachel were standing.

"Puck," he yelled as he jumped off the ground into Noah's arms. Rachel stepped back a little in surprise and watched as the child threw his arms around Noah's neck. The little boy couldn't have been more than six or seven and he was absolutely adorable. Rachel smiled at the two of them and wondered how Puck knew the little prodigy. Just then, he turned his head and saw her. "Who are you," he asked Rachel and Puck laughed as he set the boy back on the ground.

"Miguel, this is Rachel. She's a friend of mine. You should play her something." Miguel looked back at Rachel and smiled sheepishly. Without a word, he turned around and ran back to his father. Rachel was about to ask Noah how he knew the child but then he laughed and said, "When me and Mike first moved here, we lived in an apartment building across from a Cuban restaurant. The food was pretty good so we went there all the time. Miguel's family owns the place and his dad had this stage set up so Miguel could play for customers. The first time I heard him was insane. That kid plays stuff that takes me days to learn. I was walking through the park one afternoon after classes and I saw him playing. Man, he could barely hold up a guitar but he could play. Turns out, his older brother was in my music composition class and told his dad I played. So they invited me to play with Miguel at the restaurant one night. He's a pretty cool kid. Since I graduated, I'm not on that end of town anymore but I like to come to the park and see him every once in a while. I thought you'd like him." The child ran back over to Noah and skidded to a stop in front of him, almost running into his knees.

"Puck, you gotta play too." Noah knelt down in front of the little boy and shook his head.

"Sorry kid, I don't have my guitar with me today." Miguel was undeterred and placed his tiny hand on Puck's shoulder.

"Papa brought his! You have to play too!" Then he turned his big brown eyes on Rachel and pouted up at her. "Make him play." Rachel laughed at the little boy and looked at Noah.

"You _did_ tell me that I could hear you play. And really, can you say 'no' to that face?" Miguel released a laugh that was so innocent, it was sinister. Puck sighed and smirked as he stood up.

"Alright you win." Miguel whooped and ran back over to his father. Rachel watched as the older man started opening the guitar case at his side. Suddenly, Noah ran his hand up her arm and leaned in close to her. "Try to keep the panty-flying to a minimum. I'm the only one that gets to see those, babe." Rachel gasped and he quickly pressed his lips to hers. Just when she wanted to deepen it, he pulled away with a smirk and walked over to Miguel and his father.

Rachel watched as he pulled the guitar strap over his head and stood beside the little boy. Miguel did the same and placed his fingers on the frets. They didn't say anything to each other, just started playing. It seemed like some sort of Spanish guitar duel. Miguel would play a few bars and then Noah would play the same thing a little faster. They had this little dance about them, like they were circling each other. She watched Noah getting closer to Miguel, the look of concentration on his face was beautiful. The tempo increased and suddenly they were playing together. Miguel stepped forward and swayed his hips to the music he played and then stomped his foot in Noah's direction. Noah then copied him and she couldn't help but clap her hands together. The music was captivating and Miguel was incredible. But Rachel found it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes off of Noah. He looked so, free. She was astounded by the look in his hazel eyes, the way his fingers moved on the frets, his steps on the concrete. It all wove together to create an insanely addictive combination that she knew she could never hear or see enough of.

That's when she realized he'd been right. Her body had betrayed her. The moisture pooling at the meeting of her thighs was ridiculous. He was just playing music with a little boy! But then he turned his head and looked at her, his smile reached his eyes and she couldn't get over how turned on she was.

The song ended and Miguel handed his guitar to his father. When Puck had handed the guitar off as well, Miguel pulled him down for a hug. It was adorable. Then suddenly, Miguel started to run in Rachel's direction, completely ignoring the small crowd clapping like crazy. When he got to her, he looked up at her and grinned.

"Did you like it Rachel?" Puck had followed Miguel back over and said,

"Yeah Rach, did you _like_ it?" The way Miguel had posed the question was completely innocent. However, Puck's lecherous inflection made the same question anything but. She quirked her eyebrow at his smirk and turned her attention back to the little boy in front of her.

"I loved it Miguel. You were outstanding. You should be very proud of yourself." Miguel blushed but then replied,

"I am." Puck laughed and ruffled his hair. He turned around and looked up at Puck. "Are you gonna stay and play another one Puck?" Puck squatted down and placed his palm on Miguel's shoulder.

"Sorry kid but me and Rach are gonna have to get going." The little boy pouted but Puck just laughed. "Hey, none of that dude. I promise I'll come by the restaurant sometime next week alright? Is that cool with you?" Miguel smiled and nodded his head quickly. "Alright dude, so I'll see you later. Keep playing kid." Miguel gave him one final hug before running off back towards his father. Rachel laughed as she watched him go and then looked at Puck standing in front of her. His smirk was infuriating.

"What," she asked.

"I was right." Rachel crossed her arms.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're referring to Noah." Rachel turned away from him and started to walk away. Puck immediately grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back towards him. He bent his head to her neck and placed his lips against her pulse.

"Berry, you might be an award-winning actress but you suck at lying." Rachel laughed nervously at the compliment/insult and turned around. He kept his hands on her body to hold her in place. She'd already slept with him once. She knew she it was useless to bother hiding what he did to her.

"Fine Noah, what would you like me to say? Yes, I'm insanely turned on after watching you perform. You were right. I'm so hot for you right now. I could throw you down on a park bench and have my way with you. Is that what you want to hear?" She wanted to laugh at the complete look of shock on his angled face. He blinked a few times before chuckling nervously.

"Not what I was expecting but I'll take it babe. Come on, I'm hungry." Rachel rolled her eyes and groaned at what she was certain was an innuendo. Puck just laughed and said, "relax, I meant _actual_ food. Get your head out of the gutter Rach." Rachel laughed and shoved him playfully before settling her eyes on his.

"Perhaps you've rubbed off on me Noah." His grin was lascivious as he pulled her a little closer.

"Oh I'm gonna do more than rub off on you diva." He leaned down but just before his lips closed over hers, a flash from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He groaned at the worst timing in the world but didn't turn his head. "Uh Rach, the paps found you." Rachel pulled away with a muttered Yiddish swear and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry Noah. I don't even know why they're following me. The show doesn't even start rehearsals for another two weeks. I kind of wish the Hilton sisters would get drunk at a party so they would have someone else to stalk." He smiled at her frustration and cupped her cheek before leaning down and kissing her soundly on the lips. He didn't deepen it like he wanted to but pulled back after a second.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go get lunch." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and started leading her in the opposite direction of where the flash had come from.

They continued through the park, heading towards another entrance that would lead back to the street, and saw a few more performers along the way. Rachel got recognized by a couple of tourists who asked for her autograph and a photo with them. Puck thought it was a little funny, as he took the picture for them, that Rachel was so polite to her fans. She was so down to earth with everyone, even people that obviously idolized her. She could have anybody she wanted, and there she was in the park with him, on a _date_. That thought made him chuckle as she said her goodbyes to the couple and rejoined him. She curved her arm through his and they started walking again.

When they reached the restaurant, the hostess seated them at a table and took their drink order. They were in the middle of a very entertaining conversation about the time Mike and Puck screened Tina's first boyfriend when they were in the eighth grade and ended up scaring the shit out of him when they both heard "Rachel" from across the restaurant. Rachel's and Puck's heads whipped around to the direction of the voice and Rachel's eyes grew wide when she realized who it was.

"Jesse?" Puck watched the curly-haired prick stroll over to their table and his eyes flashed with anger at the way Rachel's eyes, normally so sure and serene, seemed to look uneasy with his unwelcome presence. "Um, how are you?" Puck thought the Jesse guy looked a little smug as he stared down his nose at him. Puck stood his ground and stared right back. Keeping his eyes on Puck, Jesse answered,

"Rachel, I heard through the grape vine that you were cast as Maria. You must be proud." Rachel didn't like the snide undertone in her ex-boyfriend's voice, like he was better than everything around him.

"Actually Jesse I am. Thank you for asking. This is Noah Puckerman, he's a close friend of mine. Noah, this is Jesse St. James, my ex-boyfriend." Puck broke his glare to look at Rachel. He couldn't believe that Rachel would've ever dated this guy. He seemed like a complete asshole.

"Charmed I'm sure," Jesse commented casually and turned to Rachel. "So Rach, I was thinking that maybe we could get together sometime and talk about your show. Perhaps you could introduce me to your director." Rachel started laughing and it confused the hell out of both Puck and Jesse. She shook her head and when she looked up, Puck saw a fire in her eyes that was kind of scary.

"Who do you think you're kidding Jesse? You don't want to talk about the show. You just want to talk about yourself, like always. I'm sure you haven't changed much over the years. Let me guess, your little stream of chorus girls has started to wane and you thought you'd come screw up my life again? Sorry honey, I'm not the naïve starlet I once was and I have _zero_ interest in 'getting together' with you to talk about anything. Now if you'll excuse us, Noah and I were in the middle of a conversation that you interrupted." Rachel smiled to herself at the shell-shocked look on Jesse's face. He was no doubt surprised at the backbone she'd grown into since she'd seen him last, over four years before. She could tell by the way he spoke and carried himself that he was possibly even more narcissistic now than he was when she'd left him for cheating on her. When Jesse turned towards Puck, he couldn't help smirking at him. Without another word, he walked off and Rachel let out a breath. "I'm so sorry Noah. Jesse is a little," she paused, trying to find the appropriate word. Puck beat her to the punch.

"He's a total douchebag," he stated simply. Rachel laughed and shrugged her shoulders.

"I was going to say pretentious but your word works just as well." Puck laughed and paused as the waitress returned with their drinks and took their order. When she left, he turned back to her and asked,

"So, if he's such a douche, why did you date him?" Rachel smiled fondly across the table and took a sip from her water before answering.

"He didn't start out that way. He used to be very nice. He's very talented but his talent became overshadowed by the fact that he thinks he's better than everyone around him. I started noticing the way he treated people and I didn't like it at all. I started dating him while I was in Mama Mia, he was my first male lead on Broadway so I became attached fairly easily. The critics didn't exactly love his performance and he became bitter, claiming that I upstaged him. Eventually, I caught him cheating on me with a chorus girl and I broke it off." Rachel laughed at the memory and Puck shifted in his seat.

"Why the hell would he cheat on you?" Rachel shrugged her shoulders took another sip.

"I stopped asking myself that question years ago. I'm more certain of myself now than I ever was with him. I don't need to waste time wondering why he saw fit to cavort with sluts behind my back. I'm happy now. Besides, it's his loss not mine." Puck couldn't help grinning. She was so damn beautiful when she was confident. It turned him on more than he cared to admit. Puck raised his glass slightly and clinked it against hers.

"His loss is my gain." Rachel smiled at him and drank deeply from her glass.

Puck had just restarted his story about the running off of Tina's first boyfriend when their food came. As they ate, Rachel couldn't help thinking that she'd never been so comfortable on any date she'd ever been on. But, aside from her best girlfriends, she'd never been as comfortable with anyone as she was with Noah. Puck kept thinking that if dating was this easy, he should've tried it a long time ago. But then, he realized that it wasn't the date that was easy, it was being with Rachel. They both really wanted to keep the other around.

After they finished eating, Puck led Rachel out onto street. He was about to call for a cab when he felt Rachel's hand on his arm tugging him back.

"Would you like to go for a walk Noah?" Puck looked at the smile on her face and realized that he couldn't say no to her even if he wanted to. He nodded his head and Rachel easily slipped her arm through his and started walking. He kept the fact that their date had started with a walk through the park to himself. He didn't really care what they did.

They walked down the street a little ways when Rachel heard the distinct rumble of thunder. When she looked up in the sky, the storm clouds she saw were violent and dark. She hadn't watched the weather that morning and the day had been lovely so far so she'd given no thought to the possibility of a sudden storm. But then suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky followed quickly by a deafening clap of thunder. And then the bottom dropped out.

Puck loved rain. When he was little, it would always help him go to sleep until a loud boom of thunder would wake his little sister up and she would come running into his room because she was scared. But then, he would just hold her until she went back to sleep and then did the same. But this, this wasn't rain. This was like somebody ran over a fireplug and it was literally pouring down on them. He looked at Rachel who had stopped beside him, her arm still stuck through his, and saw the smile on her face. She was looking straight up into the sky, letting the rain fall over her face. She laughed and it made him smile as she turned her head towards him.

"I love rain," she said. Puck laughed and nodded his head as he blinked water from his eyes.

"Me too." He really liked that she wasn't squealing and running under some awning to stay dry. She didn't really seem worried about staying dry at all. If her body language was any indication at all, she wanted it to rain harder. When she started walking again, it was the same leisurely pace as before. They walked for a few more blocks, going nowhere in particular and just enjoying the rain against their skin, when Puck realized how close they were to his apartment. He felt Rachel shiver beside him and he let go of her long enough shrug his soaked shirt off and place it around her shoulders. "Come on," he said, "my place is just up the street." Rachel tugged the shirt closer to her body and took the time to admire the way his Led Zeppelin shirt clung to the pectoral muscles she knew to be perfect and bronze.

They walked a little farther up the street, not really in a hurry to get out of the rain, and came to a building just a bit smaller than the one Rachel called home. He pulled her up the steps and into the small lobby where the elevators were located. The air conditioning was on and Rachel suddenly felt even more chilled than she'd been outside. She really didn't need to get sick so close to starting rehearsals for the biggest role of her life. Puck pushed the up button on the panel and the doors dinged open.

"Noah, do you think I could dry off when we get up to your apartment?" He looked down at her and chuckled. It seemed as though she could even make the 'wet rat' look work for her. She still looked fucking hot!

"Shouldn't be a problem." The doors opened and he led her down the hall with his hand on the small of her back. He pulled his keys out of his back pocket and unlocked the door. When they walked inside, Rachel was a little surprised.

She'd been in guys' apartments before. One thing they all had in common was the mess that was usually present. But as she looked around Noah's apartment, she felt comfortable. It had that 'lived in' quality and she really liked that. She saw the keyboard and guitars against the wall and smiled. The television set in the corner was a normal size, also somewhat unexpected, and beside it was a bookshelf full of DVDs and books. Noah cleared his throat behind her and she turned around.

"You want some different clothes to wear while those dry?" She nodded her head and Noah motioned for her to follow him. They walked down the short hall to his bedroom and she watched as he pulled a drawer open. He pulled out a pair of shorts with a drawstring and then walked over to his closet and pulled out another button-up like the one of his she already had on. He handed them to her and said, "Bathroom's across the hall if you want to change. But you know, you can change in here. I don't mind." Rachel laughed and shook her head as she walked across the hall.

When she shut the door to the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was glad that her stage training had conditioned her to wear waterproof make-up because you sweat a lot on stage. Some of her hair had made its way out of the ponytail and was plastered to her forehead. She pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair and used the towel on the rack to dry her hair a little bit. When she pulled the wet clothes off of her body, she contemplated whether or not to leave her undergarments on. A wet bra and panties did not seem very comfortable so she quickly unhooked her bra and slid her underwear down her legs. She pulled the shorts on and tugged the drawstrings as tight as they would go before pulling the shirt up her arms and buttoning it up about halfway. When she opened the bathroom door, Noah was standing there in his own doorway. He'd changed into a pair of sweatpants and nothing else.

"You want me to throw your clothes in the dryer?" She handed her neatly folded clothes to him and nodded her head.

"Thank you Noah." He grinned at her and walked down the hall to the closet where his washer/dryer was located. He couldn't get over how gorgeous she looked in his clothes. She'd had to roll the shirtsleeves up a little because they were too long for her. She didn't button the shirt up all the way and the skin he saw below her neck was as smooth and as perfect as he remembered. The way the shorts fell just below her knees, for some reason, looked incredible. When he turned back down the hall, she wasn't standing outside the bathroom anymore.

Seeing Noah in nothing but his sweatpants brought back every tantalizing memory from the first time she'd seen him without a shirt. His body was perfect, absolutely spectacular. The pants sat low on his hips to reveal the flawless expanse of skin, tinged with a small trail of hair that led down to a place she knew to be more than happy. She found herself getting hot so she made her way to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As she was filling her glass, she noticed a sheet of paper hanging on the refrigerator door. When she walked over to it to get a better look, she laughed out loud when she realized what it was. It was 'clean bill of health' from a clinic downtown. It made her smile because he took the responsibility to get tested in the first place. When she saw the date on the sheet, she grinned a little more. The results had come the day they'd met. Knowing that he was clean gave her an idea that she always had fun showing off with.

"Hey Rach, where'd you go?" She heard his voice coming closer down the hallway and before she could answer, he appeared in the doorway. "What are you doing in here?"

"I was thirsty," she replied with a smile. He nodded his head and stepped closer to her in the kitchen. When he took the glass from her hands and raised it to his lips, she suddenly felt very parched again. His eyes stayed on hers until the liquid was gone from the glass and he sat it down on the counter. Without warning, Rachel lunged forward and attached her lips to his. Noah immediately wrapped his arms around her waist as she deepened the kiss. When he felt her tongue slide across his lip, he groaned out loud and pushed his hands down over her ass to grind her body into his. Rachel suddenly pushed against him, but not like she was trying to push him away. Just, like she wanted him to move. Noah was able to back out the kitchen but hit the wall soon after. That was when Rachel pulled away from his lips. The look in her eyes was scary, in a totally sexy intense kind of way though. That kind of scary was perfectly okay.

Rachel leaned in and closed her lips over his nipple, loving the way she could hear his heartbeat speeding up. When she started to sink down to her knees, she delighted in the very audible "holy shit" that came from his lips. She kept her eyes locked on his as she slithered down his body. She'd never experienced as much of a thrill over what she was about to do as she did with him. The adrenaline coursing through her veins was addictive, as was his heated gaze. When she tucked her fingers into the waistband of his pants and pulled them down, he hit his head against the wall behind him. Never one for too much pretense, Rachel laved her tongue around the tip for a few seconds until his eyes met hers again. She wanted him to watch. She closed her fingers around the base and pulled them forward. His legs nearly fell out from under him when her tongue swept down his shaft and curled around his balls. They were tightening already and she'd just fucking started! How the hell did she _do_ that! As if she could sense it, her hand came up and gripped him lightly as she tugged him down just a little. The pressure was still there, but it wasn't as threatening now. As she rolled his balls in her hand, her mouth suddenly locked around his cock. She moved her head closer, taking him deeper, and he felt himself hit the back of her throat. This was normally the part where the chick pulled away. He should have known that nothing was normal about Rachel. When she started to swallow and her throat clinched around him, Noah yelled out a very nice "oh fuck Rachel!" that made her smile. The tip of her tongue was stroking the underside of him. The small bobbing motion of her head coupled with the rhythmic swallowing she kept doing was driving him insane. The colors in the room started spinning! As if all that wasn't enough already, she started humming and the result was this crazy vibrating sensation that was too damn much. The pressure kept building and he knew the release was _right there_ but his brain was too fucking clouded to care. Rachel pinched her fingers between his boys just lightly but it was enough to make him let out another lust-induced yell. He forced himself to focus his gaze on the woman on her knees in front him. The sight of her mouth sliding up and down his throbbing shaft was so fucking hot. What was even hotter was the fact that he knew she was in complete control of whether or not he found that release.

"Berry," he screamed when it got to be too much. He knew he was gonna fucking explode if he didn't come in the next few seconds. But the look she gave him through her lidded gaze told him he'd said the wrong thing. "Shit, Rachel, just," and before he could even think of what the rest of that sentence was going to be, she pushed her hand up and swallowed deeply. A random outburst of expletives mixed with a little psychobabble spewed from his lips as he came hard in her mouth. Rachel kept swallowing, drawing him impossibly deeper into her mouth, and Puck kept coming. When the last drop left his body, she started to pull her head back. Her lips closed over his tip one last time before she released him with a 'pop' and sat back on her knees. He barely had time to pull his sweats back up before he slid down the wall to the ground. She was wearing this excessively self-satisfied smirk on her face as she brought her fingers across her lip. "Good god woman, what the fuck was that!" Rachel laughed and moved so she was sitting beside him. He was still trying to catch his breath when she answered,

"It's called fellatio Noah, but there are other more colorful terms for it." He turned his head to look at her and saw the laughter in her eyes.

"How did you _do_ that?" Rachel laughed again and ran her hands over the tops of her thighs as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't have a gag reflex. It comes in handy at times." Her fake modesty made him laugh out loud as he leaned his head back against the wall. "Did you enjoy it," she asked knowingly.

"Are you fucking kidding me! You're insane." She laughed and stared at him for a second.

"Today has been really fun Noah. You've shown me a different side to yourself and I appreciate that." Noah smirked at her and replied,

"Well if that's what I get for showing you a different side, I got a few more sides you might wanna check out." Rachel laughed again and nudged his shoulder with hers in joking reprimand. Suddenly, he stood back up and held his hand out to her. She took it and let him lead her back into his bedroom. When he'd given her the change of clothes, she'd emptied her pockets on his dresser so her iPod was sitting there beside her cell phone. He grabbed the player and quickly hooked it up to his stereo. She walked over behind him and asked,

"What are you doing?" He just leaned down and captured her lips with his for a second before answering.

"Oh we're totally testing out that sex playlist you got babe. I needed you under me like yesterday." Rachel giggled in response and walked over to his bed, unbuttoning the shirt as she stepped. When she let it fall to the ground, he was right behind her as the sounds of Bria Valente's "Elixir" floated around the room. She could feel him against her bare back, he was already hard as steel again.

She turned around and stared up into his eyes. There was something lingering just beneath the surface of his heady gaze, something intense that she couldn't quite place. But when he pushed his shorts down her legs and guided her back onto the bed, she dismissed the thought of heated gazes and loaded looks and instead focused on his lips over hers and his body filling her completely.

**

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**

Rachel awoke the next morning on the couch and unable to move, partly because of the way the muscles in her thighs were aching and partly because of the strong arms wrapped tightly around her midsection. Her pillow happened to be somewhat hard as it was his firm forearm. She could feel his breath tickling her neck and she really liked it. Suddenly, his arms tightened and he groaned as he woke up.

"Hey," he said groggily. She smiled when his lips pressed against her neck. He sucked on her skin, just hard enough to mark her. His thumb rubbed over her hip bone and they both sighed. After a second, he rose up behind her and said, "So, did I pass? Do I get another date?" Rachel laughed and turned over in his arms to look at him.

"I think that can be arranged." Noah grinned back at her and kissed her lips. When his tongue slipped passed her lips and melded with hers, he shifted so that he was on top of her. She moaned against his lips as his hands started to drift down her body. "Noah, can you, oh my god Noah," her breaths became gasps as his fingers fluttered at her entrance but never actually entered her. When he pulled back and stared down at her flushed face, he couldn't help thinking (for like the billionth time) that she was just so beautiful.

"Shower," he asked. Rachel laughed and nodded her head.

Once they both stepped out of the shower, feeling considerably dirtier than when they'd stepped into it, Puck walked down the hall to retrieve her clothes from the dryer. When he pulled her shirt out, it was noticeably smaller than when he'd put it in. He walked into his room where Rachel was braiding her hair and held the shirt up in front of his body.

"Um, sorry?" Rachel turned around at the sound his voice and saw her t-shirt in his hands. She started laughing. Her t-shirt had shrunk about two sizes and looked like she'd bought it in the children's section. But the funniest thing about the whole situation was Noah's face! She walked over and grabbed the shirt out of his hands, still laughing.

"Noah, it's fine. It's just a shirt. Don't worry about it." He looked a little embarrassed as he scratched his head.

"Well, you know, chicks are usually crazy about their clothes and shit." Rachel shot him a look and said,

"Do you still have my dad's shirt I let you wear the other day? I could just wear that instead." Noah walked over to his closet and pulled the Harvard shirt out. She pulled it over her head and looked at herself in the mirror. Noah came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. As he looked at their reflection in the mirror, he was reminded of the picture Santana had taken of them that first morning after, his I.D. picture for when Rachel called him. They looked good. That's when he realized that he didn't want her to go.

Rachel stared at their reflection in the mirror and was taken aback. She couldn't deny that they looked amazing together. She didn't want to leave his apartment, she didn't want to leave him. It was insane. She looked down at her father's shirt and suddenly remembered.

"Noah, I still have your shirt. You should come with me back to my place to get it." She knew her excuse was flimsy and she could tell by the look in Noah's eyes that he knew it too. But he just smiled back at her and nodded his head.

"Alright, let's go."

**

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**

As they rode the elevator up to Rachel's floor, he cornered her again. His kiss bruised her lips and his grip was firm. So, so good. As the doors opened up, they stepped out into her hall and walked down to the apartment. She didn't expect Santana to be home because of work so she pulled her keys out and went to unlock the door. Just as she pushed the key into the lock, Noah's hands gripped her hips and turned her around. He darted his tongue into her mouth and he turned the key in the lock to open the door. She smiled against his lips and backed into the apartment, pulling him with her. They both heard a throat clear in the room and Noah looked up to see two men standing in her living room with their arms crossed. He quickly pulled away from Rachel and pushed her so she was behind him.

"What the fuck! Who are you?" he yelled. Rachel looked around Noah and gasped.

"Dad? Daddy?"

**

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**

**a/n 2: hey guys! I found that I really like doing prompt fics so if you have any prompts that you would like me to tackle, please pm them to me. I had so much fun with "Out Tonight" for Brooke and I'm really interested in doing some more one-shots from prompts. So anyway, if you have any prompts, send them my way please! Love you guys! Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n: hey guys! Here's another chapter for you! This one's more of a filler chapter but I finally got some heart-to-heart action that I've been wanting to happen between some characters so I'm really happy with this chapter. Hope you guys like it and continue to review. You always blow my mind and I love you deeply for it. Thank you so much! Just a fun fact, I based Rachel's daddy Alan on Adam Shankman because I love him! Not sure who I based Dad Marcus on though. Oh well, read and enjoy! Please REVIEW! I don't own glee**

**Chapter 7**

Puck turned and stared at Rachel for a second before whipping his head back around to the men standing in front of them. One was a white guy, late forties early fifties with graying hair. He was in shape but not much of a threat. The other was a black man, looked about the same age as the other dude. He was a little taller than the other one. Rachel rushed around him and quickly wrapped her arms around the white one.

"Daddy! I didn't know you two were coming into town. Why didn't you call me?" The white guy hugged her back and laughed.

"Well when you called us a few days ago about Maria, we wanted to come out and celebrate as a family. We thought we would surprise you." The black one stepped closer and Rachel started hugging him too.

"I'm definitely surprised," she said. Then she remembered that Noah was still there and she turned around. "Oh um, dad, daddy, this is" but her dad cut her off.

"Noah Puckerman, owner of Chase the Morning nightclub, and apparently has the paparazzi in an uproar because every time our Rachel is outside, he's never far away." Puck was a little stunned by the black man, as was Rachel. The white one just hit him on the shoulder and laughed.

"Honey, don't scare the boy. Rachel, when you don't call as much as we would like for you to, we find other ways to keep tabs on you." At that point, he walked over to a laptop that was sitting on the kitchen table and Rachel followed. Puck watched her face contort with shock as she looked at the computer screen.

"Oh my god, Noah come over here. You've got to see this." Puck tentatively walked over beside Rachel, weary of the way her big black dad was looking at him, like he knew something. When he finally turned his attention to the screen, he saw what the guy knew.

There, on some Broadway gossip blog, were a shitload of pictures of him and Rachel that had all been taken since the night of the cast party. There was a few from before that, when they'd all been walking to the diner after the club closed but those were more of Rachel than of him and Rachel. Most of them however were of their time in the park the day before. It seemed like every time his lips had come in contact with hers during the day, someone was there taking a picture of them. There were photos of him playing with Miguel in the park. One photo in particular made him smirk a little though. It was of Rachel while she'd been watching him play, and she looked totally hot for him. He knew he was right!

Rachel stared at the screen. This was insane. She'd been followed by the paparazzi before, but usually while there was a show she was involved with playing. She really couldn't understand why they were so interested in her love (?) life. There hadn't been this many photos taken of her and Jesse. She looked over at Noah and saw his smirk across his face, the same smirk that was on the screen in front of her in every photo. She saw the way his arm draped across her shoulders in some of the photos. In others, his hand rested comfortably on her backside. Her eyes widened at that, she certainly didn't remember feeling his hand on her ass. Maybe she was just used to it with him.

"I swear Rach, I just saw the one flash. I thought going to the park was a good idea." Rachel smiled at the fact that Noah genuinely seemed worried. She ran her hand down his arm and said,

"It was a wonderful idea Noah. We had a lovely time together." Suddenly, one of her fathers snickered behind them and they both turned around.

"So Rachel dear," the white one started, "aren't you going to introduce us to your, um, your friend?" Rachel seemed to stumble on the word 'friend' and Puck stepped forward slightly.

"I'm Noah, my friends call me Puck." The white one took his outstretched hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Adam Berry and this is my husband Marcus." Puck shook Marcus's hand and then stepped back beside Rachel. She looked up at him with a cute little grin on her face.

"Um Noah," she started but then bit her lip, somewhat unsure of how to handle the situation. Puck just laughed. She looked so damn cute.

"I'll get out of your hair and let you spend time with your dads. I gotta work tonight but call me if you need anything." Rachel nodded her head towards the door and walked with Puck. When they reached the door, she opened it and turned around to face her fathers.

"We'll just be minute." Rachel's dads nodded and she walked into the hallway with Puck. As soon as her door shut, she leaned against it and breathed out. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry Noah. I didn't know they were coming to visit, they always call. They've never just shown up like this before." Puck just laughed and pulled her off the door.

"It probably could've been worse. At least I didn't say, 'hey, I'm Puck and I fucked your daughter.'" Rachel hit him on the shoulder and started laughing. "You know, I was kinda looking forward to fooling around today." Still laughing, Rachel joked,

"I suppose you still could. I'm sure there will be a plethora of willing participants at the club tonight." Puck's face went serious and he narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, you're the only participant I'm interested in." Rachel saw the hurt flash behind his eyes but he continued before she could say anything. "Look, you should get back to your dads. I'll talk to you later." He let go of her and started to walk down the hallway but she grabbed his arm.

"Noah, I didn't mean it like that." He turned back towards her and she was a little startled by the look of determination on his face.

"Yeah you did, but I'll prove it to you." He was in front of her in two strides with his arms wrapped securely around her waist. As his lips crashed down on hers, Rachel immediately moaned when his tongue entered her mouth. He moved one hand up and cupped her cheek. Only when they were both out of breath did he pull away and lean his forehead against hers. "I still got another date." Rachel smiled and nodded her head.

"Can I text you later? I'm not sure how long my fathers are going to be in town but, I want to see you." Puck grinned and kissed her again.

"Only if you send me a picture with it. I'm gonna need something to keep me warm tonight." She laughed as he tightened his arms around her body.

"I'll see what I can do." Puck shook his head and placed a kiss just below her earlobe. As she shuddered, he replied,

"Try again babe." Rachel could still vividly remember the first time he'd spoken those words to her, their first 'morning after'. They seemed to have retained their effect. Puck smirked against her skin and darted his tongue out, leaving a burning sensation against her pulse. Rachel moaned and pressed her body into his.

"Alright Noah, you win." He smirked again and then moved to the other side of her neck. His voice vibrated against her skin,

"Fuck yeah I win." She giggled and sighed.

"If I don't get back to my dads, they're going to come out here." Puck just laughed and pressed a quick kiss against her mouth.

"Bye diva." Rachel watched him walked down the hall and waited until she heard the elevator doors close before she returned to her apartment. When she shut the door and turned around to face her fathers, she was met by eager faces. Adam smiled at her.

"Okay baby girl, spill. Where, when, and how long?" Rachel's eyes widened.

"Daddy!" And then Rachel realized that he hadn't meant the 'how long' in the way she'd taken it, which made her blush. God, Noah really was rubbing off. "Oh, sorry. Last week, when I found out that I'd landed Maria, Santana and I went to Noah's club to celebrate. I met him there, we danced, I ended up leaving my purse there on accident and he was kind enough to return it to me. It just, kind of went from there." Adam and Marcus shared a look before Adam turned back to his daughter.

"Uh huh, and this whole 'kind of went from there' thing, was that before or after you slept together?" At that, Rachel's eyes went from wide to bugging out of her head.

"Daddy that's highly inappropriate and none of your business but," she hesitated and then said, "before." Adam Berry laughed and Marcus just rolled his eyes at his husband. Marcus then put his hands over his ears and yelled,

"Lalalalalalalalala I don't want to hear this lalalalalalalala!" Rachel busted out laughing at her dad's antics while Adam returned the eye-roll.

"Well _I_ do! Honey, are you being safe? Is everything we read about him online true? Is he really Jewish? A good kisser? Don't answer that one. I saw the two of you when you came home. Does he play any other instruments besides guitar? Is he good at guitar? I mean, like Slash and Hendrix good, not some kid playing for quarters in the subway good. He's an entrepreneur, that's good. Means he's got ambition. Does he stay here or do you go to him? Is Santana still seeing that girl she told us about or has she already gotten bored?" Rachel started waving her hands in front of her to stop her daddy's barrage of questions. He paused and gave her an expectant look, wanting answers. She saw Marcus out of the corner of her eye, trying to feign disinterest but failing terribly. She knew she wasn't going to make it out of this conversation without answering her father's queries.

She took a deep breath and sat down across from Adam at the table. "Yes, we're being safe. I don't know what you've read online about Noah, or why there would be anything about him online to begin with, so I can neither confirm nor deny its accuracy. Yes, he's really Jewish. He plays piano and guitar, and although I haven't heard him play piano as of yet, I'm sure he's just as brilliant on it as he is on guitar. He went to school on scholarship because of it. The answer to the next question is 'both' and yes Santana is still seeing Tina. They're pretty serious about each other. Ooh, fun fact, Tina, Noah, and Mike grew up together. They're like family. Well, technically they kind of are. Tina and Mike are cousins and but they're all like brothers and sisters with each other. It's really interesting when we all get together." Marcus turned fully around from where he was sitting on the couch.

"So, are you dating this boy," he asked. Rachel shrugged a little and looked at her father.

"We've been on two dates, so yes I suppose we are dating. We're still getting to know each other but I like him. He's not like the theatre guys I've been dating my whole life. He pushes my buttons and he says completely inappropriate things and he makes me feel alive when I'm around him." Rachel breathed a sigh of relief, not realizing how much she'd really needed to voice those words out loud for some time. She laughed at herself and stood up from the table. Just then, the door opened and Santana walked in with her camera bag slung across her shoulder. When she saw the two men in her living room, she started squealing and jumping around. As the hugs and 'what's new with you's' were exchanged, Rachel slipped off to the bathroom with her cell phone in hand. As she dialed Noah's number, she felt almost giddy.

"Well that didn't take very long diva. It's not a picture but I'll take it." Rachel giggled at the complete lack of greeting from Noah and said,

"Noah, I like you." He chuckled in response and replied,

"I sure as hell hope so babe. I don't usually date chicks that don't like me." She shook her head and rolled her eyes at him as she turned to lean against the counter.

"I mean I really like you Noah. Like, 'do you like me check yes or no' kind of like you. I just needed to get that out." Rachel could hear him laughing on the other end, but it wasn't a mocking laugh, just amused. That made her smile.

"You crushin' on me Rach? That's cute." He laughed some more but didn't say anything else. She crossed her arm over her chest and huffed.

"Well are you going to say it back or not?"

"Are you crazy? I just met your dads for the first time while my tongue was down your throat. I've put more effort into this thing with you than I've ever bothered with before. You don't have it figured out yet? Course I like you Rachel." After a pause long enough for Rachel's smile to get wider, he said, 'So how's this work? Do I just hand over my balls over the phone or you wanna maybe do it in person?" Rachel laughed out loud but quickly cupped her hand over her mouth to quiet herself.

"You can keep them for now Noah. I don't need a label, I just needed to know you felt the same. I'll text you later." Noah laughed and said,

"You better. You still owe me a fucking sweet picture. I gotta make sure I didn't just grow a vagina." She really didn't want to laugh, but the snicker slipped through her fingers and he heard it anyway. "Bye babe." Rachel closed her phone and opened the bathroom door with the big smile still present on her face. She heard the end of the conversation that Santana was having with Marcus and Adam.

"So then it's all settled. We'll place reservations at Chez Henri for tonight and celebrate right. We can make a night of it tonight and then we'll all go shopping in the morning. It's been far too long since I've spent an obscene amount of money on Madison Avenue." Rachel looked from Santana to her fathers and schooled her face to look a little less ecstatic over her phone call with Noah.

"We're going out tonight," she asked. The three of them all turned to look at her and she could tell by their faces that her voice had given something away. They didn't address it though and instead Marcus stood up and walked around the couch so that he was beside Rachel. He dropped his arm around his daughter's shoulders and pulled her close. He kissed her on the forehead and smiled.

"Yes honey, your daddy and I are going to treat you and Santana to dinner tonight. We'll celebrate like a family. How's that sound pumpkin?" Rachel grinned up at her dad and nodded her head.

"That sounds wonderful. Are you two staying in the Hilton again?" Suddenly, Adam shot off the couch.

"Yes we are and that reminds me, we should be getting back. I'm going to need a nap if we're spending a night on the town." He quickly wrapped his arms around Santana and then walked around the couch to do the same to Rachel. "Oh, we love you girls so much. We'll see you tonight sweetie. My very own Maria, it's a father's dream come true!"

Out in the hallway, Marcus looked at his husband. "Well, what do you think about the boy?" Adam tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"He's built like a god. Definitely a change from the dancer bodies of her old boyfriends. He could probably kick that Jesse kid's ass. And did you see the way he pushed Rachel behind him when he thought we were intruders? He's protective of her. And Santana approves of him, which is saying a lot because she's always made fun of Rachel's boyfriends." Marcus nodded and continued down the hall.

"I must admit, when all those photos from her cast party surfaced last week, I was a little worried. But after meeting him today, well, I suppose I don't hate him." Adam hit him on the shoulder with a chuckle and stepped into the elevator.

**

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**

Puck opened his apartment door to see Tina sitting on his couch watching TV and reading a paper. "Hey T, what're you doing here?" Tina put the newspaper she was reading down across her lap and looked up at Puck.

"Oh hey Puck, Mike went out to breakfast with Brittany this morning and I got bored so I came over here to hang out with my other brother from another crazy Jew mother. You weren't home though so I snatched your newspaper to look at apartment listings. Apparently there's an opening in Mike's building which would be awesome because those apartments are really cool." Puck nodded his head listening somewhat but his brain stopped on breakfast and he realized he hadn't eaten that morning. Damn, Rachel was distracting. At the thought of her, he smiled and walked into his kitchen. When he came back with a bowl of cereal in his hands and sat down beside Tina on the couch, purposely hogging some of her space, she growled at him and said, "Oh thanks a lot man, you ever think that maybe I might be hungry too?" Puck just spooned some more cereal into his mouth and ticked his head back towards the kitchen.

"You've been here before T. You know where the food is." She rolled her eyes and laughed but poked him in the side and he jumped a little. Then she realized there was a good chance that if he dumped cereal out from being poked, she would get hit in the crossfire so she quit poking and turned her attention back to the paper. After a second or two though, she put the paper down and looked at Puck. Something was different about him. He looked happy, really happy. She knew he'd taken Rachel out on a real date the day before. The pictures she was greeted with when she opened her computer that morning told her the date had definitely gone well. She'd never seen Puck put so much effort into dating a girl. Hell, she'd never actually seen Puck _date_ a girl.

"So," she began, "how's it going with you and Rachel?" Puck smirked as he remembered the previous day. He'd woken up on this couch just this morning with a girl in his arms that blew his mind (among other things) in more ways than one.

"Good I guess, I mean, I met her dads this morning and she didn't shove me out the door so that's good right." Tina laughed and Puck kept talking. "I took her to the park yesterday for our date, and we had a lot of fun. When we were eating lunch, this dude came up and started being a total douche to her but before I could anything, she totally ripped him a new one! Apparently, he's some theatre guy that she dated a while ago who cheated on her! I couldn't believe that. I mean seriously, you've seen her. Who the fuck would cheat on _her_?" Tina smiled at Puck and nudged him with her shoulder.

"So, I guess you're not gonna make that mistake then?" Puck turned towards her and narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, I've never cheated on a girl before. I've always made it clear that I'm not interested in anything serious." Tina knew this story but she still liked to prod Puck a little.

"Uh huh, and you've made it clear to Rachel that you're not looking for anything serious?" Puck huffed in defeat, knowing that there was no way he could get anything past Tina. She was way more perceptive than Mike.

"It's different with Rach. She's fucking incredible and I could be a kickass boyfriend. I mean, I'm already not fucking anybody else. That's gotta mean something, right? I just, I don't know sometimes with her though. She can be so damn confident one second and then the next, it's like she's expecting me to fly out the door." Tina stood up and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. When she came back and plopped down next to him again, she replied,

"Puck, she probably is. Everything she knows about you, everything you've bragged about, tells her that you're gonna run." Puck sat up and put his bowl on the table in front of them and sighed heavily.

"How the hell was I supposed to know when I was saying all that shit that I would actually end up liking her? This is insane. I don't even look at other chicks now, at least not without comparing them to her. She called me after I left her apartment this morning just to tell me she liked me. Any other girl could pull that shit and her number would be deleted from my phone before I even hang up. But with her, it's like, I really like her doing stuff like that. Like, she deserves somebody that's gonna treat her right, and I think I could be that guy. I seriously _want_ to be that guy now." Tina started doing this sarcastic slow clap that made Puck turn around and look at her.

"Congratulations Puck, you've finally matured into an adult. It's only taken you twenty seven years. I'm sure Diana would be so proud." Puck narrowed his gaze at the Asian woman and shot his hand out to shove her into the arm of the couch.

"Would you fuckin' quit bringing my mom into everything? It's not cool T. If you don't quit it, I'm gonna tell Santana you have a diamond studded vibrator and a whip." Tina's expression went from joking to serious as she stared back at Puck.

"Nice try Puck, but we've already had a lot of fun with both of those." Puck's eyes got huge and he felt like he was choking.

"You actually have that shit! And I can't even enjoy it because it's you and Lopez! Fuck Tina, your bisexuality seriously gets on my nerves when I don't benefit from it." Tina started laughing uncontrollably and sputtered out,

"Since when have you benefitted from that?" Puck thought for a second and replied,

"Never, which is fucked up. But you're like a damn sister to me so it'd be creepy as hell if I actually did benefit. But since I'm changing the subject, how are you guys doing?" Tina smiled kind of dreamily and leaned back against the couch. Puck stared at her for a second before poking her in the side to get an answer.

"She's amazing. It just feels so natural when I'm with her. She likes that I'm the way I am and she doesn't make me feel like I need to change. She makes fun of me over random stuff but I do the same with her. She's strong and beautiful and she knows exactly who she is. Puck, I think I might be falling for her. Is that stupid?" Puck shrugged, a little uncomfortable with how much Tina's situation with Santana reminded him of his with Rachel.

"Tina I don't think I'm the best person to ask about stuff like that. I mean, you like her a lot so why would it be stupid? Have you told her?" Tina shook her head vigorously and replied,

"Hell no! I'm not gonna risk freaking her out. She's like you, the second any real feelings come into play, she's gone." Puck immediately took offense to that.

"I'm not like that anymore! I like Rachel a lot and I'm gonna stick it out. I'm not going anywhere." Tina smiled wide and nodded her head. "Look, if you like Lopez like that, I guess you should say something. I've seen you two together and she seems pretty attached. Plus you guys are together like all the fucking time so I'm pretty sure she wouldn't hang around you so much if she didn't like you too. Just tell her, you never know T." Tina grinned at Puck and laughed a little.

"Dude, when did you get so insightful? If this is Rachel's doing, I like it. You seriously need to keep her around." Puck grinned.

"I plan on it T. I seriously plan on it."

**

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**

Rachel sat down on her bed feeling a little tipsy from the amount of wine she'd had at Chez Henri. Her fathers always got drowsy when they drank so the whole 'night out' thing didn't exactly work out as planned. It was just past midnight when she and Santana had made it back to the apartment and Rachel really wanted to talk to Noah. She picked her phone up and remembered her promise from that morning. She knew that the club scene was just getting started and she didn't want to actually call and distract him from work. But he'd requested _(read: demanded)_ a picture and Rachel Berry always delivered. A thrill ran up her spine as she jumped up from her bed and set the timer on her phone's camera. When she set it up on her dresser, she quickly unbuttoned her shirt and slid it off her arms. As her skirt fell to the floor, she smiled to herself. She couldn't believe what she was about to do. But instead of the trepidation she fully expected to feel, there was nothing but excited adrenaline coursing through her veins. She started the timer on the phone and ran back over to her bed. She pulled her hair over one shoulder and stood up on her knees in the middle of the bed. As she copied the pose from one of her nude photos he'd liked, the camera went off and she breathed out before retrieving her phone to see the picture. Rachel looked at the photo on the screen and grinned. It was just enough to piss him off, she knew it. The message she typed out under the picture made her laugh as she remembered his comment from that morning. Pressing send, she laid back on her bed with a sigh.

Puck had never felt more relieved for the club to be closed than he did at that moment. He didn't realize how much he thought about Rachel until he was forced to think of other things, like his business. The office door opened and Mike and Brittany stumbled inside laughing.

"But, but, I don't get it. Why would somebody have a cake and _not_ eat it," Brittany giggled out. Mike just hugged her waist closer to his and shook his head.

"Baby it's just an expression. Don't worry about it." Suddenly, they both seemed to notice that they weren't alone in Puck's office, and that fact was _hilarious_ to them. Puck watched with amusement as the two just stood there laughing in his doorway. After a second or two, Mike cleared his throat. "Dude, we're gonna go see Ethel for some food. Wanna come?" Before Puck could answer, Brittany bust out with,

"I love Ethel! But sometimes, Lucy was funnier. Like the chocolate factory when she stuffed them all in her dress. Hey Mike! I could put chocolate in my bra and you could get it out for me. That would be fun, wouldn't it?" When she finished her little monologue, Puck looked at Mike who was about fifty shades of red while Brittany just leaned against his shoulder, happy as a clam.

"Mike, is she gonna be okay?" Puck asked with a snicker. The blonde was clearly beyond buzzed and funny as hell. She laughed into the room suddenly and Mike just shook his head.

"Yeah dude, just gotta get some food in her. She's kind of a lightweight. Anyway, you wanna come have breakfast with us?" Puck looked at the girl in Mike's arms and laughed as he shook his head.

"Nah man, you two go ahead. I'm just gonna go home and sleep for about twenty four hours." Brittany's head shot up from Mike's shoulder as he said that and she smiled.

"Hey, you could be called Puck Van Winkle!" Both men had to laugh at that and Brittany just shrugged her shoulders.

"Alright dude, I'll see you later. Tell Rachel we said hi." Puck nodded his head and sat back in his chair with a heavy sigh as the office door shut. He opened his desk drawer and pulled his phone out. He always kept it in the office when he was down in the club. The music always prevented him from hearing or feeling it anyway so there was no reason in risking it getting lost or stolen. As he opened it up, he saw that he had one picture message waiting to be read. It was from Rachel.

He stared down at the screen in his hands, Rachel's perfect body barely covered in her lingerie staring back at him with those dark eyes he loved getting lost in. He recognized the pose from the portfolio he'd seen, the 'innocent over-the-shoulder' look that had been his first _last_ straw. He was hard instantly even though the text beneath the photo made him laugh out loud. It read _*is your dick still there?*_ She'd sent it just after midnight and his clock indicated that it was just after four in the morning. He figured Rachel was probably asleep but he saw no harm in replying to her little tease. He keyed his response, _*you should see for yourself babe*_ and slipped his phone into his pocket. As he stood up and gathered the rest of his belongings, he smirked to himself. He really couldn't wait to see Rachel again.

Just as he stepped outside and locked the door, Rachel's ringtone started going off in his pocket. When the phone met his ear, before he said anything, her voice whispered, "You should come and show me Noah." He groaned at the sound of her sultry voice and laughed a little.

"What're you doing awake, diva?" Rachel giggled and replied,

"I can't sleep. Santana and I went out with my fathers earlier and I just can't seem to get to sleep now. After I sent you the picture, I tried to watch a movie to calm myself down but that didn't work. I don't want to wake Santana up but I don't know how to make myself go to sleep." Puck laughed as he walked down the street a little and said,

"And you think if I come over, we won't wake her up? You're kinda loud babe. Just ask Mrs. Goldberg." She giggled again and he thought for a second that it turned into a small moan right at the end before she started talking again.

"I guess I'll see you later then Noah."

"Woahwoahwoah! I thought you wanted me to come over?" Rachel sighed a little and answered,

"Well I just assumed that perhaps you wanted to go home and sleep or something. And you just said-" Puck interrupted her with,

"Hey wait a second, I didn't say I wasn't coming over. I said we'd probably wake Santana up." After a beat he added with a suggestive tone, "and we probably won't get much sleep either." She giggled again and he figured she was just a bit tipsy because she didn't usually giggle that much. It was kind of cute. "I'll be there in a few minutes babe."

"Okay Noah." Rachel hung up her phone and looked around her room. Suddenly, she got an insane craving for chocolate chip cookies so she left her bedroom and headed to the kitchen. Santana generally slept like a rock so as long as she didn't make an excessive amount of noise, she most likely wouldn't wake up.

Once she got to the kitchen, she started gathering all the baking supplies she would need for cookies. After a few seconds of deliberation, she decided it was too late (early?) to make cookies from scratch so she took the roll of premade dough out of the refrigerator and retrieved a knife with which to cut it. She set the oven to preheat and started spraying the cookie sheet with cooking spray. The knife cut easily through the dough so Rachel was finished cutting by the time the oven beeped to let her know it was up to temperature. She placed the cookies on the sheet and slid the pan into the oven. The oven door closed and she got a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Just as she put it to her lips, she remembered that the night doorman didn't know Noah so he probably wouldn't let him up. With a groan, she kicked herself off the counter and walked into the living room. She got her keys from the coffee table and walked out into the hall, locking the door behind her.

Rachel stepped out of the elevator and saw Andy, the nighttime doorman, sitting behind the security station with a cup of coffee. The older gentleman looked up and smiled. "Miss Berry, what are you doing up at this hour? Shouldn't you be resting that voice of yours?" Rachel laughed and nodded her head.

"Hello Andy, I couldn't sleep so I'm expecting a friend of mine to come over. I realized that you didn't know him so I thought I'd come down to wait for him." Andy chuckled and scratched his balding head as he said,

"Miss Berry, you could've just called down here and given a description of the young man. Although, if it's that Noah of yours, I would've let him up for you." Rachel's brow furrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Andy, how do you know Noah?" He just laughed a little and nodded for her to come closer.

"That Mrs. Goldberg is a bit of a gossip." Rachel blushed a little but then heard the lobby doors open. When she turned her head, she gasped a little. There he was, in all of his perfect bone-structured glory, walking towards her with a smirk on those perfect lips. Damn, she really needed to stop thinking of him as perfect.

"What're you doing downstairs Rach," he asked. Rachel smiled up at him and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go." He nodded and took her hand in his with a grin as he led her back to the elevator. "Goodnight Andy," she called over her shoulder. The old man waved just as the doors were closing and then Noah turned his smirk once more on her.

"Were you waiting for me downstairs?" Rachel laughed lightly and replied,

"I didn't think that Andy knew who you were so I was worried that he wouldn't let you upstairs when you arrived. But then he reminded me that I share a building with a nosy gossip of an old woman so he knew who you were and would've let you up anyway. And then you walked into the lobby and that's that." Noah chuckled and moved closer to her.

"You know, you talk really fast when you're sleep deprived. Your cheeks get really pink and your hair flies everywhere because your head shakes a little." Rachel blushed crimson and he lowered his lips to hers. "I like it."

When the elevator opened back up on Rachel's floor, they stepped out and walked down to the apartment. As soon as Rachel unlocked the door, the smell of cookies poured from the room. "Oh shit, my cookies!" Rachel ran into the kitchen to take them out of the oven and Noah followed her. He watched as she bent over in front of him and the way her shorts cupped her perfect ass made him release a groan. She transferred them to a cooling rack and turned the oven off. He stepped up behind her and grinned.

"You made cookies?" In the process of wrapping his arms around her torso, he reached out to grab one only to have his hand slapped away by her tiny one.

"Yes I did and you don't get one until they cool." Rachel turned her head to see him pouting like a three year old but it was incredibly adorable and impossible to say no to. With a groan, she said, "okay, one cookie. But the rest you have to wait for them to cool." She gently picked a cookie up from the rack and handed it to him, smiling a little wider at the triumphant look on his face. He stuffed the whole thing into his mouth and rolled his eyes back in his head, making her laugh. He moaned obnoxiously and Rachel slapped his chest. "You're deplorable." He just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. Rachel noticed that, in his hurry to shovel the entire cookie into his mouth, he got some chocolate on the side of his mouth. She slid her hand up his chest to his face. When her thumb brushed the corner of his lips to remove the chocolate, Noah turned his head and captured her thumb in his mouth. As his tongue passed over the pad of her thumb, Rachel's eyes closed and she allowed her head to fall back just a little. It was insane what one touch from him could do to her. She suddenly couldn't take it any longer and needed to be closer. She pulled her finger past his lips and tugged his head down to hers.

Puck wasn't really sure what they were doing anymore. She'd told him that she didn't need a label but standing in the middle of her kitchen in the middle of the night (early morning?) eating cookies she'd made for him seemed suspiciously like a _relationship-y_ type of thing. What was weirder was that he kind of wanted some kind of label for whatever the hell they were. It was way past friends, more intense than just dating, but he wasn't sure if he could call her his girlfriend. But the second her lips pressed against his, his brain went blank and he just wanted more of her. She couldn't get close enough for his taste. The way her hand felt fisted in his shirt, like she was claiming him for all the kitchen utensils to see, was really awesome. She moaned against his mouth and he pulled her closer. He'd known when he walked into the lobby that she wasn't wearing a bra under her t-shirt but feeling her breasts pressed against his chest was absolutely incredible. He ran his hands up her sides and rubbed his thumbs across her hardened nipples. She shuddered a little and took a step back, only to run into the counter. Once that happened, they both started laughing and pulled away from each other. She stared up at him for a second before she turned back around to the cookies.

After she determined that they'd cooled enough to plate them, she opened the cabinet door to pull a plate out. Once the cookies were arranged to her liking, Noah reached around her once more to grab one. She didn't bother slapping his hand away this time and instead followed his lead by grabbing one of her own. "Noah, would you like some milk?" Noah nodded his head because he couldn't talk without spewing cookie all over her. If he ever needed a mood killer, that would be definitely be his first choice. Rachel laughed and nodded towards the refrigerator. He took that to mean that he should get it himself. She took the plate and left the kitchen so he poured their glasses very quickly and went into the living room. He sat their glasses down beside the cookie plate and joined her on the couch. She'd already turned the TV on but it was down really low so they wouldn't risk waking Santana up. He grabbed another cookie and turned towards her.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Rachel popped his cookie out of his hand and took a big bite before handing it back to him.

"I didn't really think that far ahead when I called you. Did you like the picture I sent?" Noah was still somewhat reeling from the fact that she just bogarted his cookie to really pay attention to what she said. She snapped her fingers in front of his face and laughed at him. "Are you going to answer me Noah?" That brought him back and he shook his head.

"Too many fucking clothes babe." She slapped his shoulder and he just wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his body with a chuckle. "But it was hot. I might have to be a creeper and set it as my background." Rachel laughed and elbowed him in the side as he stuffed the remainder of his cookie in his mouth. She turned her attention back to the TV and laughed at some early morning infomercial about 'personal massagers'. Noah started laughing at her but then asked, "So, do you have one?" Rachel snorted a laugh and answered,

"I actually have two vibrators Noah." He smirked at her and she said, "I like you a little better though." His eyebrow raised and he said,

"The hell do you mean a _little_ better?" She bust out with a giggle and then instantly clamped her hand over her mouth. She looked so kissable with her face all flushed and happy. "Seriously, you better be joking or I'm walking out that door and leaving you with your toys since you like them so much." Rachel gripped his arm and tried to calm her laughs so she could speak.

"Okay! I like you a lot better. Are you happy?" Puck leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, effectively silencing her giggles. She moaned against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her over so that she was straddling his lap and continued to kiss her senseless. His fingers fisted in her hair and she pressed her body closer to his. Suddenly the commercial on TV got louder and they both looked down and realized that Rachel's knee was on top of the remote control turning the volume up. That made the second kiss of the evening to be ruined by the two of them laughing and he pressed his forehead to hers. As she breathed out, he noticed how tired she seemed. He gently wrapped his arms around her and leaned over so that they were lying down on the couch facing each other.

"Aren't you spending the day with your dads tomorrow?" She nodded with a yawn and placed her palm against his cheek. "You should probably get some sleep then, don't you think?" Rachel's thumb brushed over his bottom lip as she breathed out.

"I suppose." She sounded so disappointed at the idea of sleep and it made Puck laugh. He hugged her a little tighter and said,

"What if I make it up to you later? With no sleep at all?" He let his voice become as suggestive as possible and Rachel smiled lazily.

"I'll hold you to that." She shifted a little closer and closed her eyes. Just as her breathing evened out, one of her legs came in between his so that they were tangled together. He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She mumbled in her sleep, it sounded a lot like 'Noah', and he couldn't help thinking that this was kind of a defining moment for whatever this was between them.


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n: hello again beautiful people! I'm really sorry about the late update but this story has started to really kick my ass lately so…yeah. Last chapter's response was a little different from the usual response and it left me a little bit worried about interest for the story. I hope you guys are still enjoying it and if you are, please let me know. Anyway, I realized that last chapter, I FUBAR'd Alan's name throughout the whole damn chapter. To disperse any confusion (not sure anyone actually noticed), his name is ALAN and he based on Adam Shankman. Marcus Berry, thanks to missidaaa, is officially based on Jesse L. Martin who played Tom Collins in RENT. So please enjoy the chapter and review. Thank you for your support!**

**One more thing: SMUCKLEBERRY!**

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Alan and Marcus Berry stepped out of the elevator early the next morning and walked down the hallway to the girls' apartment. They'd informed them at dinner the night before that they would be by early in the morning to pick them up for their shopping spree. When Marcus knocked on the door lightly and there was no immediate answer, he assumed the girls were back in their rooms getting ready for the day so he pulled the spare key the girls had given them for emergencies out of his pocket and unlocked the door. When his hand pushed the door open, he gasped at the sight in front of him.

There she was, his daughter, his Rachel, curled against the muscled chest of the same boy they'd met attached to her the day before. Alan sighed and walked into the room to look for Santana. He found it hard to believe that the Latina would've left Rachel and Noah alone if she was awake. He walked down the hall to her room, leaving Marcus staring awestruck at the adorable couple on the couch. When he lifted his fist to knock on her door, it opened anyway. Santana was like a second daughter to him so he smiled when he saw her snuggled up under her blankets. He walked over to the bed and gently shook her shoulder as he whispered, "Santana honey, wake up sweetie." She mumbled 'go away mom' and rolled over. Alan chuckled and shook her a little more. "Young lady, you wake up this instant." Suddenly, she shot up out of her bed and yelled,

"Oh shit!" Alan started laughing and clutched his sides as he took in the startled woman in front of him. She stared at him for a second and then said, "Daddy A, you know not to wake me up like that!" Alan put his finger to his lips to quiet her and silently hoped that Marcus hadn't already disturbed the two on the couch.

"Have you seen your living room this morning?" The look she gave him told him all he needed to know and he held his hand out to her to help her out of bed. "Come on honey, this is great blackmail for our little diva." Santana didn't fully understand but she followed Alan out of her bedroom anyway. He led her into the living room where she saw Marcus standing in front of the couch. The look on his face looked like a mix between amused and frustrated. She was about to ask where Rachel was but then they made it to the front of the couch and she giggled at what she saw.

Seeing Puck and Rachel together reminded her of the first time she and Tina had seen them in bed together. They still looked completely perfect! Rachel was facing towards Puck and his arms were wrapped around her so she didn't fall off the couch. There was a plate of cookies and two half empty glasses of milk on the coffee table. The way Rachel's hand was fisted in Puck's shirt was really possessive, a trait that Rachel didn't bring out very often. She knew that Puck was possessive over Rachel so it was kind of nice to see that, even if it was in her sleep, Rachel was the same way. She really loved the little smile on Rachel's face, like she didn't have a worry in the world. It was nice to see her best friend wearing that smile because of the man with her on the couch. She motioned to Alan and Marcus to hold on a second and she ran back to her room for her camera. When she got back, she teetered precariously on the arm of the couch. She positioned her body so that she could catch the right amount of light from the window and snapped the photo. The thought crossed her mind that she could probably start a separate portfolio just for them in positions like this because she had a feeling it would be a recurring thing.

Just as she was about to step down, the fabric shifted and she lost her footing, falling head first onto Puck and Rachel. Marcus and Alan both lunged forward in a feeble attempt to catch her but it was too late. "Oh my god," Rachel screamed. Puck tried to move but he was pinned beneath one girl and still tangled up in the other. "Santana what is wrong with you?" Marcus stepped over and pulled Santana up so that she was standing again. Everyone was laughing so hard that by the time Rachel and Puck were able to get off the couch, nobody in the room could open their mouth without snickering.

"Seriously Lopez, what the hell?" Santana just kept laughing at the flustered, somewhat embarrassed, looks on both Rachel and Puck.

"I'm sorry! I was trying to get a good photo and so I stood on the arm of the couch. I slipped trying to get down and fell on you guys." Rachel stepped over to her roommate and grabbed her camera.

"You took another picture of us?" Santana tried to grab her camera back but Rachel was so tiny that she was able to maneuver back over behind Puck.

"Yes I did and if you erase it I'll kick your ass! Your boyfriend can't protect you forever!" Santana ran over to Rachel but she just ran around to the other side of Puck. Puck was stuck in a predicament that in any other situation would've been awesome! Two hot chicks, in their tiny little sleepwear, were running around him yelling and laughing. It was doing absolutely nothing for the serious case of morning wood he had straining against the zipper of his jeans. And then he heard a deeper laugh and realized that Rachel's dads were in the room too. Shit!

Just as Rachel ran around in front of him again, he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her off the ground. Santana made a pass at Rachel to try and get the camera again but the height advantage she now had by being in Puck's arms made it easier for her to keep it out of her reach.

"San I just wanna see it," she shouted through another fit of giggles. "I'm not going to erase it." Alan and Marcus could see that Puck wasn't exactly used to having to handle the two women together by the look on his face. Marcus stepped forward and said,

"Okay you three, enough of this. Honey, give Santana her camera back." Rachel reluctantly handed the camera back to Santana who stuck her tongue out at her friend. "Alright now, Noah it should be safe to put Rachel down now." Puck looked from Santana to the girl tucked under his arm to the two men on the _safe_ side of the couch. Santana looked happy to have her camera back and Rachel looked all pouty because she never actually got to see the picture. He chuckled nervously as he stood Rachel back up on her own two feet. Her dads kept laughing and Marcus turned to Alan and said, "Oh honey, this reminds me of when Rachel and Santana were seven and they both liked the same boy in their class? They started running around Rachel's room yelling at each other!" Alan nodded and laughed,

"I remember that! We had to pull them off of each other because they started fighting." Puck looked down at Rachel who was blushing deeply at the event her fathers were talking about. When he looked at Santana, the same blush covered her tan cheeks. They both started giggling and then it turned into full blown laughter again. Rachel gripped Puck's arm for support and leaned into his body, her shoulders shaking with her laughter. Santana then started laughing too and looked down at the camera in her hands. She punched a couple buttons and then walked over to where Puck and Rachel were standing. Puck was a little surprised when she willingly handed the camera back to Rachel. Rachel smiled like she'd won the 'fight' and released a small gasp as she held the camera up to her face. Puck looked down at the camera she was holding and couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

"Santana," Rachel gushed, "how did you get the light to do that? The way it bounces off of Noah's cheekbones is remarkable." Santana smiled but Puck scoffed.

"Screw the light. We look hot babe." That comment made everyone laugh and she poked him in the stomach.

"Well that much is blatantly _obvious_ Noah. But for the window to be the only light source she was using, this is a spectacular photograph regardless of the subjects." She paused for a second but then looked up at him with a smile on her face. "But I agree with you nonetheless." He laughed and took the camera from her to get a better look at the photo. He then looked at Santana and smirked.

"San, you're not gonna sell this to the paps are you?" Santana scoffed and rolled her eyes before snatching the camera back from him.

"Oh _please_ Puck, like I would make it easy on them. Those leeches wish their photos were as good as mine. Anybody with a cell phone can be a paparazzo. It takes actual skill to do what I do. Don't insult me like that again or I'll make it a lot harder for you and Rach to have _fun_." Puck stuttered for a second, stumbling a little on the Hispanic accent that bled through Santana's voice and the sassy whip of her hair. It threw him a little when she started laughing at the stunned look on his face. "I'm kidding dumbass! Rach would kill me if I got anywhere near the family jewels." At that point, Marcus had enough and threw his hands up in the air.

"Okay then, I believe I've heard enough about your private lives to last me a lifetime. Can we go shopping now?" Santana laughed at the darker man and walked off in the direction of her room to get dressed. Marcus walked into the kitchen and Alan shot a glance at Rachel and Puck before following his husband. Rachel giggled a little as she turned to face him beside the couch. Puck was the first to speak.

"So uh, second meeting of the parents probably could've gone better huh?" He laughed a little as she shrugged.

"Daddy likes you though so it's alright." Puck pursed his lips in confusion and asked,

"Which one is 'daddy' and which one is 'dad'? Rachel laughed at his confusion and replied,

"The white one, Alan, is daddy. Dad is the black one, Marcus. If it helps, when we were little, Santana called them Daddy A and M Dad." Puck bit the inside of his cheek and clenched his jaw to keep from laughing but it didn't work. He sputtered out a chuckle which quickly escalated to a full blown belly laugh. Rachel laughed with him and walked him to the door.

"That's fucking confusing babe. You gotta explain that to me sometime." She stepped a little closer and placed her hand on his chest.

"Maybe I'll explain it on our next date." Puck smirked and leaned down to catch her lips. He sandwiched her between himself and the door and used his hands to tilt her head up towards his. Rachel placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him closer. When her tongue grazed his top lip, he gripped her hips and lifted her just enough so that she was on her toes. As he did that, her arms wrapped around his neck and locked their bodies together. His lips were so soft, she just couldn't get over how ridiculously soft his lips were. Her body couldn't get enough of him. The way he kissed her, like nothing else mattered, was incredible. It made her knees wobbly. When he pulled away, just far enough to tempt her to lean back in, she could feel his breath on her face. Somehow, even though he just woke up, he still smelled amazing. She inhaled deeply and he laughed a little before he leaned in and brushed his lips against her nose. When she moved her head up, he pressed his mouth gently to her top lip. He grinned as she released a tiny moan and pulled away.

"You pick the date this time. Call me when you figure out where you wanna go." Rachel was kind of speechless and she just nodded at him. He chuckled and pulled back from her face but kept his hands in place on her hips. She reached behind her and opened the door, attempting to break the very livid sexual tension to which there was no present release for. She knew that if he was this close for much longer, she would in no way be responsible for her actions.

"I should get dressed now." Puck kissed her one last time before letting her go and stepping away. He grinned at her and she shot him a confused look. "What's the look for?" Puck just shook his head and laughed a little.

"You totally don't need to do that. But uh, unless you actually want me to stay, you might wanna move out of the way." Rachel smiled warmly up at him and replied,

"Thank you for last night Noah." He shrugged his shoulders and tried to ignore the way her voice went all soft.

"No big deal, it's not like we did anything anyway." Rachel touched her hand to his arm and couldn't help squeezing just a little. His arms were massive and she'd use any excuse to touch them.

"I know that, but I like being around you. And I did feed you." Puck chuckled and stepped closer to her with a very familiar, very _sinful_, glint in his eyes.

"Rach, the cookies were good and all but," his hand came up once more to rest on her hip as he pulled her away from the door, "I can think a few other things I'd rather eat." Rachel blushed deeply as he lowered his head to her neck and whispered, "You're a lot sweeter too." Her breath hitched and she smiled up at him.

"Noah, if you don't leave now, I don't think I'll let you." Puck just grinned against her skin and trailed his tongue along her collarbone.

"What's so bad about that?" They both smiled and Puck leaned in for another kiss. Just before their lips touched, a voice came from behind them.

"Rachel let the boy leave! If we don't get to Madison Avenue before noon, all the good stuff will be gone." Puck laughed and rested his head on Rachel's shoulder. She couldn't help but wonder why on earth her dad had to choose right then to interject. Puck cleared his throat and placed a chaste kiss to her lips.

"Call me." She nodded her head and moved so that he could leave. As soon as the door shut, her tiny hands balled into fists and she marched straight to the kitchen.

"Dad!"

**

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**

Rachel couldn't help the smile on her face as she watched her best friend and her daddy strutting down the street arm-in-arm like they owned the whole sidewalk. She looked up at her dad beside her and Marcus smiled down at his daughter. Santana and Alan turned into a shoe store and Marcus led Rachel inside after them. As Rachel was trying on a pair of white peep-toe pumps that would look amazing with the dress she'd bought earlier, Alan started talking.

"So San honey, when do we get to meet this Tina of yours? Your mother has demanded that we grill you for information on her. What's she like?" Santana smiled fondly at the mention of Tina and walked a few steps in the stilettos she'd just put on before turning back towards the group.

"She'll probably be by this afternoon. I text her this morning after my face-plant into Puck and Rachel's limbs and I told her you guys were in town. She'll probably sleep over tonight Rach, is that cool with you?" Rachel giggled and nodded her head.

"Mike and Brittany at his place huh?" Santana laughed and returned Rachel's nodded before deciding the stilettos were ugly and too expensive and started removing them. "I can't wait to actually meet Brittany. She's an amazing dancer and maybe now that one of our friends is dating her, I can. Noah said Mike's crazy about her." Santana nodded in agreement and replied,

"Tina told me that she's really sweet. She tried to make breakfast for all three of them one morning and ended up burning everything. Apparently, she doesn't really get recipes though so she got confused. Tina said she set a timer and went back to bed. They all woke up to the smoke alarm going off!" Rachel gasped but her fathers started laughing with Santana. "We should all have breakfast again one morning. I mean, that is kinda what started this whole thing." Rachel cocked her eyebrow in question.

"What do you mean 'this whole thing'?" Santana just rolled her eyes and slipped into a pair of silver flats that would look great with this yellow sundress she had in the back of her closet somewhere. Alan and Marcus didn't say a word, wanting to know what details might slip past the Latina's lips.

"Our whole group thing Rach. We all met at the club then we went out to breakfast. Face it, in some way or another, we've all been inseparable since then. Seriously, can you name one day in the last two weeks where you haven't seen either Puck, Mike, or Tina in some way since breakfast that morning? Like, we all became friends really fast, just like we started dating really fast. I mean, I asked Tina out that morning, you and Puck danced around each other. And now Mike has Brittany and I'm pretty sure that we'll like her just as much as we like the rest of them. We're like one of those cliques that you hated in high school." Rachel laughed a little but couldn't disagree. Santana grinned and added, "plus, since you and Puck started sleeping together, I've gotten a lot more views of his abs which are pretty fucking sweet." Rachel turned about ten shades of red as she remembered that her fathers were sitting not two feet away and listening to every single word from Santana's mouth. She put on her best show smile and looked up at her friend. In her sweetest voice that Judy Garland would be jealous of, she said,

"I'm going to kill you in your sleep." Alan laughed out loud at that and patted Rachel on the back.

"I do love your flair for the dramatic honey. Santana, how do you put up with her?" Rachel recognized the evil glint in her best friend's eyes as she met her gaze and lightly replied,

"It's easier now that Puck keeps her occupied most nights." Marcus Berry groaned uncomfortably and Alan just chuckled in his seat. Rachel took her own ballet flat off of her foot and chucked it at Santana's stomach, hitting her with a sniper's accuracy. Santana released an 'oof' and collapsed in a pile of laughter among the pile of shoes that had yet to make it back to their boxes. Rachel grinned, pleased with herself, and laughed as she watched her friend still clutching her stomach dramatically on the floor.

As they walked out of the shoe store, Rachel felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She shifted her bags to one hand and retrieved the phone, opening it to find an unread message from Noah.

_*hey babe, wanna meet up tonight?*_ Rachel smiled and typed back,

_*don't you have to work tonight?*_ Her dad looked down at her and noticed the smile on her face as she struggled to get her phone back in her pocket.

"Talking to that boy," he questioned. Rachel's head shot up and she grinned at her father.

"Yes actually, I am talking to Noah dad." Marcus chuckled walked a few more steps before he remembered something from the day before that confused him a little bit.

"When Noah introduced himself to your father and I yesterday morning, he said that his friends call him Puck." Rachel looked at her dad and arched her eyebrow waiting for him to continue. "Santana calls him Puck, but you call him Noah. Why is that?" Rachel never really questioned why Noah let her call him by his given name and didn't seem to let anyone else do so. Even Tina and Mike, who'd known him their whole lives called him Puck.

"I don't really know. I told him that I preferred Noah and he didn't say anything against it." Marcus released a 'hmm' that was loaded with speculation but he kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. Those thoughts being that this Noah possibly cared a little more for his daughter than he and his husband originally thought when the photos of them popped up on the internet.

You see, when Rachel had called her fathers to inform them that she'd gotten the part of Maria, a role she'd practically been training for since she was born, they started making plans immediately to fly out to New York so that they could celebrate with their daughter and their 'other' daughter as a family. Now, only because Alan Berry was a bit of a neurotic crazy Jew _father_, they kept an eye on the Broadway gossip blogs, online tabloids, and anything else that Rachel might pop up on. Needless to say, seeing photos of their daughter in the arms of a handsome club owner was a little shocking. Their Rachel didn't do hook-ups, they knew that much. And from what information they could dig up on the boy, he'd never really been seen with the same woman twice. But as the photos continue to trickle in over the course of the next few days before they showed up in New York, they could tell there was definitely something going on between the two kids. Call it 'fathers' intuition'.

"Is he treating you right?" Rachel laughed at her dad's attempt to grill her for information and nodded her head.

"It's barely been a week since we started whatever this is dad, it's not like he's had time to treat me wrong. But yes, I wouldn't call him a gentleman but he's really sweet with me. I like him, and he likes me. That's all I care about." Anybody else would've cowered from the finality in her tone and dropped the subject. However, her dad wasn't one of those people.

"He's a bit of a player, isn't he?" Rachel rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Dad, I'm a big girl. I know all about Noah's history. He doesn't hide that. But I trust him, so I'm not really worried about his past. Besides, don't pretend like you don't have Santana on retainer as my personal body guard/best friend. I'm good dad." Marcus draped his arm around Rachel's shoulders and placed a gentle kiss to her temple.

"I know sweetie, your daddy and I just don't want another Jesse fiasco." Rachel bristled a little at the mention of him and stopped on the sidewalk.

"Noah is nothing like Jesse. Besides, we haven't defined what we are so he's free to do whatever he pleases although he's assured me he has no interest in other girls." Marcus rubbed her shoulder to calm her down and started walking again. They walked a few steps and he waited for her body to relax before speaking again.

"You know, I realized that he was different from Jesse when I saw the photos." Rachel wanted to roll her eyes but let her father continue, knowing he would shut up if he got it all out.

"Why do say that dad?" She purposely added the annoyed tone to her voice hoping like hell that her father would take the hint.

"In all of the photos we've seen of you two, whether you kids knew the cameras were there or not, his eyes were always on you." Rachel felt her breath hitch and she looked back at the smug smile on her dad's face. She grinned and wrapped her arms around her dad.

"I love you!" Marcus just smiled and looked out in front of them at his husband and Santana making their way into yet another store.

"Love you too pumpkin."

They were at lunch before Rachel felt her phone vibrating again. This time, it was ringing though. She quickly excused herself to go to the bathroom and opened her phone on the way. "Hey Noah." She smiled into the receiver and leaned against the wall beside the bathroom door.

"Hey listen, Thursday is always a slow night so I was thinking that maybe I could duck out early and meet you at your place." Rachel smiled even wider at the sound of his voice, never fully getting used to that smooth timbre drifting in her ears, but then she remembered something.

"Tina's sleeping at our place tonight."

"Damn," he muttered, "Mike and Brit are like fucking rabbits. I swear he's walking around like a baby giraffe." Rachel laughed and sighed as he continued. "Alright, so my place then?" Rachel giggled at his persistence and wondered just how blue his balls were.

**

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**

Rachel watched as Puck choked just a little on his pizza and stared back at her. "Are you fucking kidding me? A turkey baster? That's disgusting." She burst out laughing and curled her legs up under her on the couch.

"Dad's a lawyer so he drew up the contract and it was all fine." Puck nodded thoughtfully and took a pull from his beer before going in for another slice. With his mouth full, he asked,

"So, you ever meet her?" Rachel gave him a small smile, remembering that meeting so many years ago.

"Once, when I was sixteen. I'd dreamed about meeting her for a long time actually but, it wasn't what I thought it would be. We've kept in touch though over the years so it's okay. But my dads are everything I could ask for in parents so I don't feel like I've missed out." Puck looked off towards the television set currently on mute and somebody was getting an arm sawed off. When he looked back at her, she was munching on her crust with a pensive look on her face. "Do you miss your father?" He groaned, never wanting to talk about that. But there was something about Rachel. He knew that if he told her to drop it, she would. And that's what made him answer.

"Nope. Bastard ran out on my mom when I was eight. She was pregnant with my little sister Becca. We haven't heard from him since. Forced me to grow up though, had to be the man of the house. Somebody had to deal with the CJM." Rachel looked at him with a completely blank look on her face. Puck just chuckled and offered, "Crazy Jew Mother. Trust me, you're not missing out." To that Rachel laughed out loud.

"Noah, I have two gay fathers! I think they would be equal to a, a CJM." Puck responded by shaking his head and taking another pull from his beer. He wiped the back of his hand across his face and grinned.

"Babe, have your dads been hounding you since you were born that you needed to find a perfect Jewish girl to marry and produce perfect Jewish grandchildren with? I don't think so. Every time my mom comes to the city, she drags my ass to temple _just_ so she can point out all the chicks without rings on. Mike's convinced that she's made some kind of profile for me on a Jewish singles website and I'm too fucking scared to actually check." Rachel clutched her sides because she was laughing so hard. She had to set her plate down on the coffee table because she thought she might drop it on the floor. She sat back against the couch and turned her head so she was looking at him.

"Okay fine, you have it worse. Your mom is worse than my dads." Puck shot his fists into the air in victory and she laughed again. He reached over and picked up the Tupperware box of cookies she'd brought for them to eat. These were homemade and totally kicked the ass of the ones she'd made the night before. Seriously, these were like Betty fucking Crocker was having an orgasm in his mouth. He moaned out loud only to be slapped in the chest by Rachel. "Hey, save that for later!" For a second, Puck thought she was talking about the cookies and then he realized she totally wasn't. He put the cookie box back down on the table and leaned over until he had her pinned against the back of the couch. Rachel giggled as she slid down the couch taking him with her. He ran his fingers down her arm and caught her hand in his. Her giggle stopped in her throat at the small gesture and she looked down at their joined hands.

"Hey, you okay?" When her eyes met his again, they were worried. But as soon as he saw it, it flickered away and she pulled his head down to hers without bothering to answer. When her body arched into his as she ran her tongue across his lip, he just wanted to be inside her as soon as possible. Puck pressed his pelvis into hers and felt her calf muscle slide up the back of his thigh.

"Oh god," she mumbled, "just take me." Rachel lifted her hips to make her point hit _home_ and moaned at the friction she achieved. Suddenly, Puck's body was no longer on hers and she opened her eyes to see him standing beside the couch. "Noah?" Puck stuck his hand out for her to take and when she did he lifted her off the couch. She looked up at him and cocked her head to the side.

"I'm gonna take you babe, don't worry about that. Come on." He pulled her down to his bedroom and shut the door behind them. He pulled her shirt over her head and dipped his head to lick at her collarbone. She inhaled sharply and grabbed at the hem of his wife-beater. Her fingers brushed against the V that lead straight down past the band of boxer briefs that were sticking up just above his jeans. Puck moaned at her touch and started unbuttoning her jeans as she did the same with his. As he pushed her jeans down over her hips, he gazed briefly at the white lace and grinned. When Rachel slipped her thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans and tugged them down, she smiled at the very prominent bulge. She kicked her jeans out of the way and took a step backwards towards the bed. Rachel sat down on the edge and looked up at him before taking her bottom lip between her teeth.

Puck's eyes darkened just a little bit more as he ushered her farther back on the bed. She scooted back to the middle and he straddled her legs. Rachel could feel his erection pressing against her abdomen, the heat almost burning her. He bit down on her pulse point and smiled at the pleasured moan she released in response. He pressed his body closer to make her lay flat on the bed and when she did, he hooked his fingers into the lace around her hips and tugged it down her legs. Rachel sighed at the feel of the cool bedspread against her backside but growled when she felt Puck's fingers slide down her stomach. When his middle finger crooked inside her, she arched completely off of the bed with a strangled cry. Somewhere in the distance, past the sound of the blood rushing in her head, she heard him chuckle softly. When his lips closed around her nipple, nothing else mattered. And two seconds later when he was filling her like no one else before him, she accepted that she just might care for this man more than she should.

Puck watched as a Rachel writhed beneath him on the bed as he thrust into her slowly. He ran his hands up the smooth expanse of thigh surrounding him and pulled her leg up to his shoulder. She bit her lip so hard that it looked like she might bleed but she breathed out and closed her eyes. Rachel would've been successful in her look of serene ecstasy had it not been for her hands which were presently twisted and tangled into fists in the blanket. She gasped when he leaned forward, stretching her leg in the process, and shifted her hips up to meet his still painfully slow thrusts. Puck felt her contract around him just as he pulled back out and he hissed as her walls seemed to touch every nerve ending, even ones he didn't know about. He released her leg and leaned even closer to mesh his lips with hers, needing to taste her as he took her. She immediately opened her mouth to his tongue in free invitation and he greedily, hungrily took it. He continued to push against her body as their tongues fought a tantalizing war. He swallowed every moan, every sigh, every sound she released and groaned in response. Even Puck couldn't really understand why he was taking such an unhurried style with her. It had to be more than just a desire for the tantric. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he realized that he already cared way too much about this woman he'd known for far too short a time.

Rachel felt her body building its release, so close she could taste it on Noah's tongue. The way his hands caressed her body, like he was memorizing it, was all she could take. She opened her eyes and arched up into his body one last time, clenching her muscles around his unyielding length as his teeth nipped gently at her lips. For the first time since she could remember, her orgasm overtook her body in silence. It was like her breath and voice had been stolen from her body as her mouth opened in a tacit scream. Her body shook and her hands gripped his shoulders with insane strength. He continued his deliberate thrusts until her body became limp with exhaustion, only then did she feel his release as well. With labored breaths mingling between their heated bodies, they stared at each other.

Suddenly, he dipped his head and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose as he pulled out. "Rachel," he whispered.

"Noah," she replied back, just as quiet.

Neither one realized that the other's name was the only functional thought they each possessed. That had to count for something, right? Puck made quick work of situating them in the bed, used to the feel of her skin pressed against his as his arms wrapped around her torso. They both sighed, sated for the time-being, and curled into each other. Rachel leaned her head up and pressed her mouth to his easily, wanting another taste before she drifted off to sleep in his grasp.

It was incredible how their last tangible thought was that they were right where they wanted to be.


	9. Chapter 9

**a/n: first of all, I'm so so so so so so so so so sorrrrrrryyyyy for making you guys wait so long for this update. I've been working on prompt!fics and my muse for this just decided to bitch out on me. Your response to last chapter made me cry, it was so amazing. I always cry when I read reviews because let's face it, some of you are too damn nice to me! But I couldn't love you more. Please review and let me know once more how you think I'm doing with this story. It makes my world. If you haven't read my one-shot "It's Time for You to Show it Off" you need to check that out. I have another one-shot coming up titled "Is It Friday Yet?" so please read that as well when I post it. You guys are the best readers on the planet so thank you for putting up with my shenanigans. Furthermore, I don't own Glee or Norah Jones' "I've Got to See You Again". Have fun guys!**

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Rachel was sitting on the couch watching TV but not really paying attention to it. It'd been two days since she'd woken up in Noah's arms in his bed and she couldn't get him out of her mind. Her dads had gone back home since then but both she and Noah had gotten so busy that they never had time to really talk about much. He texted her the day after to see if she wanted to go out for pizza but she'd already planned a lunch date with her director and the actor playing Tony so that they could all get better acquainted. She really would've preferred pigging out on pizza with Noah. Turns out that Austin DeFore, the guy playing Tony, aside from being a fantastic actor, was about as interesting as grass growing. If it wasn't for the fact that she was nothing if not professional and that Jason was quickly becoming her favorite director of all time, she would've faked menstrual cramps and called Noah before the cab door closed.

She couldn't get their last night together out of her mind. It had been incredible. She was used to that with him. But something was different. The way her mind went completely blank when he'd entered her, the way every bit of thought just flew out of her head, it was ridiculous. She could remember the way his fingers had ghosted across her body, the torturously slow pace that took her to the brink, she'd thought it was going to last forever and she couldn't find anything at all wrong with that. She hadn't needed to think, just feel, only _feel_. His body just seemed to get hers. _He_ just seemed to get her, like no one else had ever before. There would be times when they hung out together and they would make random comments that were essentially the same thing. He was fun to be around and she trusted him. Her past experience with people had made it so that trust didn't come easy to her, but she trusted _him_. That blew her mind.

She got bored with not paying attention to the television so she went into her room and stuck her headphones into her ears. She wanted to relax and attempt to stop thinking so much about Noah so she flipped over to her 'Relaxation' playlist and sprawled out on her bed. The second the steady soft thump of the bass guitar and the slow whine of the saxophone floated past her eardrums, she knew that a playlist consisting of mostly jazz was a terrible thing to listen to when she was trying to get her mind _off_ of Noah Puckerman. When she'd looked through his iPod that day in the park, one of the most listened-to genres represented was jazz. It was insane for an entire genre of music to remind you of someone but that's what happened. After a second or two, she figured why fight it. She closed her eyes and let the soft melodies and images of Noah's body mingle in her brain.

As the song continued, she thought of when Noah had played in the park that day. At the time, it'd been incredible to watch. Seeing him in his element like that was wonderful. And then, when they'd been hanging out at his apartment before the topic had turned to how two gay men could produce a baby girl, she'd convinced him to play his keyboard a little. And when he did, it was just as amazing as when she'd seen him playing guitar in the park. His fingers skittered across the keys with professional skill as he played a melody she'd never heard before. Had she not already have been incredibly turned on by simply remaining in his presence for any period of time, that would have certainly done the trick. She knew she had to see him again. When the song switched to another in the playlist, she picked her phone up and watched her fingers find his name in her contact list.

"Talk to me babe," he answered and she laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Noah, I know where I want to go for our next date."

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**

Rachel was outside Puck's apartment building when he walked out the doors. She smiled up at him and he grinned in response.

"Hey you," Puck said with a smirk. "I thought I was coming to get you?" Rachel shrugged her shoulders and stepped a little closer to him.

"The club is closer to your place and I thought maybe we could walk. It's nice out tonight." Puck gave her a once over, noticing the way the tiny red dress hugged her body like a glove. His eyes trailed down her torso to the long expanse of toned tanned leg on display and even further down to the black five inch pumps she wore on her tiny feet. His eyebrow rose in question and he motioned to her shoes.

"You sure you wanna walk in those diva?" Rachel looked down at her shoes and rolled her eyes with a scoff.

"You're such a guy Noah. I've performed eight shows a week in shoes higher than these. Besides, they go with my dress." Puck really didn't understand how black shoes could actually _go_ with a red dress since they were two different colors and all but he wasn't about to ask. He just nodded his head and held his hand out to her.

"Alright then, let's go."

He was trying really hard not to show it but he was really excited about the place Rachel had chosen for their date. The owner of the small jazz club had actually been a mentor to him and Mike when they first started out with Chase the Morning. Plus, he loved jazz music so he'd frequented the place often, had even performed there on one or two occasions. Rachel didn't know that but it didn't matter. He knew that they would have fun together wherever they went, but a jazz club was an intimate setting that promised _something_ was gonna happen. It had to.

They walked in comfortable silence down the sidewalk for about a block when Rachel noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that Noah was giving her a funny look. When she turned her head however, he looked straight ahead. They did this little back and forth gazing game for about a minute or two before Rachel stopped walking and faced him. "Okay Noah, what's with the looks you keep giving me?" Puck turned towards her and impulsively pulled her closer, away from the people passing on the sidewalk. He grinned at the confused way her mouth opened and closed before he pressed his lips to hers heatedly. When he pulled back, he replied,

"It's been three days babe. You look fuckin' hot. How am I supposed to _not_ look at you?" Rachel eyed him for a second before letting her gaze wonder down his body for the first time. He was wearing a dark blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his forearms, successfully accentuating the muscles and veins there. Over that shirt was another vest, this one black. She didn't know what was with his thing for vests but she wasn't complaining in the slightest; man could _work_ a vest! The jeans he was wearing had a few tears in them that were most likely bought that way and the way they hugged his thighs was perfect. Puck pulled her closer and gently kissed her neck with a smile. He inhaled and smiled a little wider at her tiny moan of approval and said, "Besides, you smell really good right now and I skipped breakfast." To that, Rachel laughed and they started walking again.

They walked another block before the blue neon lights of _From the Top_ came into view. It was a small place, very quaint but Rachel had a lot of friends from the theatre that raved about the place. And she'd heard that the owner had been close personal friends with both Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. Not to mention the fact that she really felt that Noah would enjoy himself there. There was a small line waiting outside but Noah just led her right past them to the man at the door. They spoke for a second and the large man opened the door. Noah put his arm back around her shoulders and pulled her close as they walked into the building.

Puck instantly felt like he was home as he heard the soft brass permeating the room. The smoky atmosphere, low lighting, and musky smell was welcoming. He felt Rachel tug on his arm lightly and he looked down at her.

"What was that about outside," she queried. He grinned and answered,

"He used to work for me. I actually got him the job here." Rachel's eyebrow ticked up just a little and she asked,

"How did you manage that?" Puck pulled her in the direction of the bar and motioned for the bartender who was with another patron at the moment.

"The owner is a friend of mine. When me and Mike first started the club, he helped us out a lot." Just then, a small but rotund man stepped out from behind the bar.

"Mr. Puckerman!" Rachel's head snapped to the side at the sound of the voice. When she saw the man, she smiled as he walked towards them. She'd never heard anyone address Noah in that way so she wasn't exactly sure what to expect. But when he was standing in front of them, Noah shook the man's outstretched hand.

"Billy, how you been man?" The man, Billy, smiled happily before turning to see Rachel. "Rach, this is Billy Holtzman. He owns the place. Billy this is Rachel Berry." Suddenly, the wrinkles around Billy's eyes seemed to lighten a little bit as he eyed Rachel. She felt a little odd under such close scrutiny.

"Rachel Berry? Why does that name seem so familiar?" Puck grinned with pride and pulled Rachel a little tighter against his side.

"That's because she's a fucking star!" Rachel elbowed him in the side but before she could say anything else, Billy's smile widened.

"I knew it! I knew it! I just didn't want to say anything. I took my wife to see _Jersey Boys_ a few years back and it was spectacular. You are a once in a lifetime talent young lady, always remember that. And I know what I'm talking about, I discovered this one here." Rachel turned her head to look at Noah to see him nervously rubbing his scalp with his fingertips.

"Alright Billy, we just came to listen to the music, not have you rat me out." Puck tried to pull Rachel away but she pulled right back and looked at Billy.

"What do you mean you discovered Noah, Mr. Holtzman?" Billy frowned at Rachel and shook his head before gently patting her hand.

"Sweet girl, Mr. Holtzman is my father. You can call me Billy. I discovered this kid playing at a Cuban restaurant when he was still in college. Had him come over here a few nights a week to play with my house band. He is one talented guitarist, I'll tell you what." Rachel smiled in agreement and nodded at Billy.

"I couldn't agree with you more." Billy nodded his head, jowls shaking back and forth like a basset hound, and looked at Puck with a grin on his wrinkled face.

"So naturally, when he and that Chang fellow wanted to start up a place of their own, of course I helped them all I could. How is Mike by the way?" Puck cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head.

"He's good. Pretty sure he's got a girlfriend now since he's pretty much with Brittany twenty four seven. But she's cool and he's all smiley so I guess it's all good." Billy chuckled, then a crash was heard from the bar area where the bartender had dropped a few glasses, and the little man was quickly excusing himself to quiet the commotion. Puck turned back to Rachel and laughed somewhat nervously before asking, "You want something to drink?" Rachel smiled, nodded her head, and watched as Noah turned around and headed in the same direction Billy had gone.

There was an empty table next to where she stood so she pulled the chair out and sat down. As she looked around the small dim club, she noticed the ornate light fixtures, the wrought-iron accents adorning the crimson hued walls. The small stage, complete with an electric blue baby grand piano positioned at its heart, was backed by a brick wall painted black with silver music notes that comprised the intro to Marvin Gaye's "Unforgettable". Against that stood an upright bass and beside that was a black bass guitar. There was a type of stand on top of the piano that she suspected was for a trumpet. She guessed that they were there somewhat early as the club was still fairly empty. A few patrons from the line outside had started slowly trickling in, quietly listening to the music coming through the speakers. Rachel didn't know if the house band would be playing that night but she was still enjoying the music anyway.

When she looked away from the stage, she saw Noah speaking once more with Billy. It looked as though they were having an argument of some sort. Noah was repeatedly shaking his head, visibly saying 'no' and Billy didn't seem to be listening to him at all. The older man slid two glasses, red wine and beer, across the bar and Rachel could see him mouth 'just ask her'. Noah grabbed the drinks and shook his head one last time before turning on his heel and walking away from the bar.

As he sat her wine down on the tabletop, Rachel looked up at him. "What was that about?" He looked confused for a second before shaking his head once more.

"Don't worry about it. Billy's just…being Billy. The band's about to go on in a minute. They're pretty cool." Rachel took a sip from her wine, laughing a little that she hadn't told Noah what she wanted to drink. "What," he questioned her giggle. She looked back at him and sighed.

"I didn't tell you to get me red wine." Noah's eyes widened just slightly and he leaned forward, a worried look on his face. His hand darted out to grab the glass's stem.

"I didn't ask, sorry about that. You want something else?" Rachel moved the glass just out of his reach and he ended up grazing her breast instead. She laughed and shook her head.

"No, it's what I wanted. I just thought it was odd that I didn't have to tell you what I wanted." Noah's worried look morphed into one of smug satisfaction as he sat back in his chair.

"I think I'm getting pretty good at knowing what you _want_." Rachel felt her cheeks warm but was saved from responding as the lights dimmed even more and the house band took the stage. A younger man, early twenties possibly, seated himself at the piano while a more heavyset man emerged with a silver trumpet and a saxophone. As he placed the trumpet on the stand, a gorgeous red-head grabbed up the bass guitar and another man took the upright at her side. The group of musicians stood as if waiting for something, and Rachel noticed that everyone in the club seemed to be doing the same thing.

Noah grinned and suddenly, a woman just to the left of their table stood up, the spotlight on her and the microphone she held daintily in her hand. She looked to be about Billy's age, but she was beautiful. In the light she was bathed in, her deep green dress sparkled and the confidence she exuded was stunning. The woman smiled as she made her way to the stage, the audience clapping softly for her. When she reached the stage, she'd barely stopped walking before the music started up. And when she sang, there was something so raw about her voice that Rachel absolutely loved. Somehow, it seemed as though the song were written for her voice alone. You could tell she loved what she was doing; it was revealed in her voice, her movements, her eyes.

At the end of the first song, Noah leaned over and explained that the woman on stage was Billy's wife, Faye. She'd been a small-time performer during jazz's golden years and had actually met Billy through a mutual friend, Etta James. Billy had actually started the club simply so his wife would always have a place to perform. They'd been married for almost fifty years.

After about the fourth song, Faye Holtzman was officially on Rachel's list of favorite performers. She had this timelessness about her that Rachel hoped to achieve when she was further on in the years. The woman was incredible to watch. As she set the microphone on its stand at the end of the song, Rachel noticed Billy standing off to the side of the stage trying to get his wife's attention. When Faye noticed him, she walked over to him and leaned over so that he could whisper in her ear. Rachel thought it was odd the way the woman's eyes seemed to flit over the audience as though she were looking for someone. Her face lit up and she nodded earnestly to her husband before walking back to her spot in front of the piano.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she began with a bright smile, "my husband has informed me that we have a star in our midst." Rachel saw Noah sit straight up in his seat, his hand curled into a fist on the table.

"That little shithead," he mumbled, but she heard him. She turned and looked at him just as he turned toward her and said, "Rach, I told Billy to leave you alone. He's got it in his head that you're gonna go up there and sing something." At that moment, the spotlight was on their table.

"Rachel Berry," Faye announced and the small room erupted with applause. Rachel stayed firmly in her seat, stunned for a second at the sudden attention focused on her. "Miss Berry, it would do us a great honor if you would come grace our small stage. What do you say?" And then Rachel fully understood the argument Noah and Billy were having before. She smiled and looked at Noah, still looking very angry at the old club owner. He shot her an apologetic look and unclenched his hand to brush it against hers. That's when she realized that the whole club was waiting on her answer and she couldn't have been surer of it.

Puck watched as Rachel stood up from their table, show-stopping smile in place, and made her way up to the small stage. When Billy had asked him while he was getting their drinks if Rachel would perform a song, Puck gave him a flat out no. He kind of thought that maybe this could be just a normal date. He should've known better, seeing as how all their dates since the 'first' one had hardly been what people would call normal. Hell, they slept together on their first date. They'd slept together on every date since then. Which begged the question, what the hell were they? Dating? Fucking? Relationshipping? Fuck, that's not even a damn word.

As he turned his attention back to the stage, Rachel was hugging Faye and Faye was willingly handing off her microphone. In the years that he'd known Billy and Faye, Puck had never, not once, seen Faye give up her microphone. She'd probably be buried with the damn thing. But she gave it to Rachel and Rachel took it with a smile. "So," Faye started to ask, using another mic on the stage, "what will you sing for us?" Even in the low lighting, Puck would swear on his Bubbie's grave that Rachel's eyes met his and realization struck her features before she turned to the pianist and whispered in his ear.

When the soft intro started, it dawned on Puck that he hadn't actually heard Rachel sing since seeing her in _Beauty & the Beast_ with his sister and mom a few years back. He could remember perfectly that she'd been incredible and suddenly, he wasn't as angry with Billy and Faye for getting her on that stage. He recognized the song no problem, but when Rachel opened her mouth to sing and that voice came out, so full of soul and feeling, he couldn't help noticing his pulse quicken.

_Lines on your face don't bother me  
Down in my chair when you dance over me  
I can't help myself  
I've got to see you again_

Late in the night when I'm all alone  
And I look at the clock and I know you're not home  
I can't help myself

_I've got to see you again  
_

Her eyes were locked with his. He couldn't look anywhere but at her. She was so captivating, so natural. She was fucking amazing!

_I could almost go there  
Just to watch you be seen  
I could almost go there  
Just to live in a dream_

But no I won't go for any of those things  
To not touch your skin is not why I sing  
I can't help myself  
I've got to see you again

Puck was pretty much ready to fuck her on the piano. The raspy quality she'd bled into her voice was something he'd only heard when he was buried balls deep inside her and had her falling apart around him. Their eyes were still locked on each other and, even though he wasn't positive she could actually see him, he swallowed thickly and unbuttoned the top button on his shirt. It was suddenly a little harder to breathe.

_I could almost go there  
Just to watch you be seen  
I could almost go there  
Just to live in a dream_

No I won't go to share you with them  
But oh even though I know where you've been  
I can't help myself  
I've got to see you again

Oh I can't help myself  
I've got to see you again

When the song was over, it was no surprise that the entire club stood to their feet. Faye wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly as Rachel tried to hand her the microphone. As she made her way down the small steps to the floor, Puck's feet were suddenly moving toward her. It was automatic, he didn't even think about going to her. Like, his body just needed to be next to her. When he reached her, she looked up at him with this happy little smile on her face and she just looked so damn fuckable, but cute at the same time. He placed his palm against her cheek and grinned when she leaned into it. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his. It was fast but somehow still full of all the passion he knew she was capable of. When she pulled away, happy smile still in place, she looked up at him. Her eyes were searching his and he knew what it was she was looking for.

"That was fucking incredible babe." Rachel grinned but was still searching his face for the answer to her silent question. Puck ticked his eyebrow up just slightly and said, "Nice song choice, s'posed to be a metaphor for something?" Rachel's mouth dropped open a little, stunned that he'd understood fully what she was saying with that song; stunned even more that he didn't seem apprehensive in the least. "Come on, let's go back to the table, enjoy the rest of the night." She nodded, satisfied that he wasn't running away, and allowed him to take her hand to lead her back to their table.

When they got back to the table, Puck scooted his chair next to hers and placed his arm possessively around her shoulders. She leaned into him as Faye took the stage once more. The rest of the night at the club passed without incident. They enjoyed the band, the occasional fan would approach for an autograph but Puck did a pretty good job of running interference. If he noticed someone walking towards their table, he'd lean over and press his lips to her neck or nip at her earlobe and the would-be interrupter was successfully deterred. Well, it's not like he actually needed an excuse to touch her and kiss her, _mark_ her, _claim_ her, but it was good to have one anyway. After that happened a few times though, she caught on and slapped his roaming hand away from her thigh. She laughed at his groan and looked at him. The way he was pouting made him look like a child just put in a time-out. She noticed the way his tongue darted out to wet his lips before he downed the last bit of his beer. A tiny sound of appreciation escaped her throat and he turned his head back to her with a smirk.

"You hungry," he questioned, but she knew by his tone that he wasn't talking about anything of nutritional value. She smirked right back at him and leaned over, placing her hand gently on his chest.

"You have no idea Noah. But I think we should probably get some real food first." He groaned again and turned his head quickly before she could pull away from him. While he had her close, he moved his hands so that he was cupping her face, feeling her hand sliding up his chest and around his neck, as he moved his mouth over hers. She ran her nails across the back of his neck and twisted her tongue against his. His scent inundated her nostrils for a second time that night, but this time seemed much more concentrated, more intoxicating. Breathing became an issue after a minute and he pulled away but kept his face close to hers. For the next few seconds, they just sipped at each other's lips.

"Let's get out of here," Puck whispered. Rachel nodded her head and pressed her lips to his quickly before standing up from the table, pulling him to stand as well. They headed towards the exit and within a few minutes, the pair was outside on the sidewalk. Puck turned to face her and she looked up at him with a smile on her lips.

"So Puckerman, since you're so good at knowing what I want, why don't you tell me what I'm in the mood for now." Puck leaned down and quickly pressed his body into hers.

"Hmm, well Berry, what you're really in the mood for would probably get us arrested out here on the sidewalk." Rachel laughed and punched him in the shoulder. He chuckled in response and grinned, "Hey you didn't deny it!" Rachel continued to laugh but had buried her head in his chest, which seemed to make his body vibrate with her giggles. Yeah, that's what it was.

"Noah, will you just pick somewhere to eat already?" He thought for a second and then said,

"Ice cream." Rachel raised her head from his chest and looked at him curiously. "Okay, well not just ice cream. But there's a deli just up the street that's crazy good and they've got ice cream too. Come on, I know all about your sweet tooth babe." She smiled and nodded her head.

"That sounds wonderful Noah." He wrapped his arm gently around her shoulders and continued walking down the street.

Rachel couldn't understand how she'd never been to this deli before! It smelled amazing; like Italy, Greece, and France all rolled into one scent that could knock you off your feet or cajole you to lay down. She looked around the shop and noticed that it was fairly empty. The dinner crowd must have just left because a few tables had yet to be cleared off. Noah ushered her to the counter to place their order and then they made their way to a booth to sit down. She smiled contentedly as she looked out the window at the bustling New York City street. The night had been great so far. She got to see Noah, that was a plus already. But then, at the club, she'd gotten to sing onstage a song that described quite literally how she seemed to feel about Noah most of the time. She was constantly thinking about him, wanting, needing to see him again. What made it better was the fact the he seemed to understand exactly what she'd been trying to say and he was still there with her. She was really beginning to believe that he wasn't going to run. He'd already caused her to drop almost every guard she'd ever created for herself and she knew that even if he ended up breaking her heart into tiny jagged pieces, she'd never be able to regret letting him in. When their order was called, Noah slid out of the booth to get their food. She could see him in the reflection of the glass and smiled appreciatively at the view of his backside she was granted.

However, her eyes narrowed to slits when she saw the woman approach him at the counter. She wore a shirt that looked as though it were bought at Baby Gap and she was barely poured into her ugly acid-washed jeans. Rachel immediately prickled at the overly obvious way she was hitting on Noah. Perhaps the woman was a little drunk or something but that was no excuse. When she placed her arms around Noah's neck, Rachel saw red and was out of her seat before her next thought was fully formed in her mind. As she quickly strode up behind Noah, she heard the last part of the 'conversation'.

"Listen lady, I'm _not_ interested." Rachel grabbed the trollop's wrist off the back of his neck and slung it back to its owner. Noah turned around and the woman, (if she, now that Rachel was seeing her closer, could even be called that) looked somewhat smug as she stared back at Rachel.

"Excuse you," Rachel seethed. "Kindly remove your hands from my _boyfriend_," she spat without thinking. Noah's eyes widened momentarily before the thing removed her other arm from his shoulder. It backed up about a half-step and replied haughtily,

"Retract the claws kitty, I didn't know he was taken." Rachel stepped closer to Noah and slid her arm through his.

"Well he is so keep your _paws_ off, bitch." The woman/it/thing raised her hands and backed away from them. It wasn't until she was out of the deli that Rachel realized what she'd said, the word she'd used. "Oh shit," she mumbled to herself. "I'm so sorry Noah. I didn't mean to say that. It just came out. I saw her and I got jealous and I just reacted. Just forget I said that," she rambled quickly. Noah turned around and placed their food back on the counter. When he faced her once more, his unexpected smile shocked her a little. When he pressed his lips to hers, she remained stunned. That was the last thing she'd thought he'd do. Stumble around his words a bit as he explained that there was no way in hell he was her boyfriend, run for the hills, stare at her dumbfounded, all of those things were perfectly expected. But the way his tongue was caressing her lips, begging for entrance with a teasing smirk, _that_ was entirely and ironically foreign. He pressed his forehead against hers and chuckled lightly.

"So, boyfriend huh? That doesn't sound as bad as I thought it would." Rachel gasped but he just turned around and grabbed their food off of the counter and started walking back to their table. She stood there for a second, staring after him. He looked back after a second and motioned for her to come sit down. She walked blindly to the table and sat down. Noah unwrapped his sandwich and started eating, leaving Rachel still staring at him. He looked up after a second and motioned to her untouched food. "Uh Rach, I thought you were hungry."

"Noah," she hissed slightly, "shouldn't we talk about this?" He shrugged in response and took another bite of his sandwich.

"About what?" He smirked at the furious look she shot him and stopped her before she was able to launch into some kind of psychobabble rant. "Okay, you wanna talk about the boyfriend thing. Fine, what about it? I'm fine with it if you are. I know you said it because you got pissed off at that freak but, I also know you tend to speak your mind when you're pissed too. So if you said it, you meant it, at least a little bit. So come on, straight up, you wanna be my girlfriend or not?" Rachel remained stunned at the words he spoke, at the nonchalant tone he spoke them with, at him. Who _was_ this man?

"Noah, don't joke about things like that." Noah chuckled darkly and put his sandwich down, leveling his gaze with hers.

"Babe, not sure if you've noticed but, we're dating. It's weird and I'm not used to it but I kinda like it. I like you. We've already been over this shit. It's whatever. I'm not joking about anything. Seriously, you don't say things you don't mean. I don't do sappy bullshit like this if it's not worth it. You're worth it. So you might as well just stick by your little word slip because I don't feel like having this conversation anymore. It's awkward." And there he was! She smiled, satisfied with his answer. She took a sip of her drink and sat back in the booth.

"So, just so we're clear, we are official now?" Puck felt like rolling his eyes. It was like he could literally feel his balls shriveling up into ovaries. He was gonna have to fuck her right there in the middle of the deli if she kept talking, just to prove to himself that he still could.

"What are we, in high school? Yeah Rach, you're my girlfriend, I'm your boyfriend, all that jazz. Can we eat now?" She bit her lip to stop the giggle that had formed in her throat and unwrapped her own sandwich. As she savored the taste of the melted cheese and shredded chicken mixed with some type of dressing that tasted pretty much like heaven had just exploded in her mouth, she watched him across the table, looking for any signs of apprehension in his hazel eyes. She found none. "Quit looking at me like that," he said as he popped a chip into his mouth. Rachel raised her brow and swallowed her bite of food.

"Like what," she questioned. Noah cleared his throat and looked at her skeptically.

"Like you're waiting for me to say 'ha ha just kidding'. Don't hold your breath babe." Rachel's mouth dropped open once more and he shook his head. "Quit doing that too. You could at least pretend to not be so shocked." Rachel couldn't hold it in anymore as she released a fit of giggles and laughter.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to act like you having no problem with being in a relationship after knowing each other for a such a short time isn't shocking. I'll pretend that this entire situation is completely normal." Puck laughed a little too but shrugged his shoulders after a moment.

"Babe, we slept together about forty-eight hours after meeting each other. We're hardly normal." She sharpened her gaze on him and replied,

"I told you I don't normally do that." The man just nodded, as if she'd just proven his point for him.

"And I told you that I don't have relationships. Looks like we're both making exceptions to our rules." Rachel inhaled, ready to retort, but then realized that he was right. Since this entire thing between them had begun, they'd both bent their own tenets to make room for each other. She didn't regret doing so in the slightest because he made her feel something that she usually only felt when onstage. With a smile, she nodded her head and said,

"Okay." He grinned at her and took another bite out of his sandwich. Rachel took a sip of her drink and giggled again before doing the same to her own sandwich.

When they left the deli, ice cream in hand, Rachel with her 'Imagine Whirled Peace' and Puck with his 'Karmel Sutra', they walked down the sidewalk talking about nothing in particular. Rachel still couldn't really believe that the night had taken the turn that it did. But the smile on her face that wouldn't seem to go away proved that she was really happy that it did. She didn't know what was going to happen with Noah, how he would take to being in a relationship, if he would lose interest. But for once, the unknown didn't even frighten her. It was actually kind of thrilling.

Puck was talking about a DJ they'd just hired for a Halloween party they'd be hosting at Chase the Morning when Rachel took her spoon, reached over, and tried to stick it in his bowl of ice cream. He stopped mid-sentence, mid-step, and just stared at her for a second before asking, "Are you fucking crazy?" He moved the paper bowl out from under her spoon, frozen in mid-air, and looked at her again.

"You're kidding me, right? You won't let me have a bite of your ice cream? Even if I let you have some of mine?" Her answer received a shake of his head as he shoveled a big scoop of caramel into his mouth. She secretly hoped he'd get a momentary brain-freeze.

"If you wanted this flavor, you shoulda got it. Besides, this shit's the bomb and I have sharing problems." Rachel narrowed her eyes in challenge and jerked her spoon in the direction of his bowl. Puck quickly moved it out of the way once more and took a step back from her. She stepped closer and reached for it again but this time, instead of moving out of the way, Puck simply held the bowl over his head which meant it was well over hers even in her heels. He smirked down at her in victory and laughed at the way she huffed. Rachel turned away from him and directed another spoonful of her own ice cream into her mouth. As she swallowed, she realized that she could've very easily elbowed him in the stomach and achieved her goal, but she was going to attempt to restrict her use of physical violence. She turned back around and stared at him. He still had his hand above his head, in slight fear that perhaps her little war wasn't over. Rachel just laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Fine, keep your ice cream. But I feel the need to tell you, you're being a butthead." As he safely scooped another spoonful of creamy goodness past his lips, her words sank in and he asked,

"Did you, did you just call me a butthead?" Rachel laughed at him again and rolled her eyes.

"Are we having a _Legally Blonde_ moment now? Yes, I called you a butthead." She started walking again mumbling about how he wouldn't share just a _little_ bite. Puck thought for a second, and he was in no way an expert on relationships, but he was pretty damn sure that your girlfriend calling you a butthead wasn't a good thing. He stepped up behind her and grabbed at her arm to pull her to a stop. She turned around and looked up at him. Puck just smirked at her and dipped his spoon into the bowl. As he held it out to her, Rachel opened her mouth. Puck watched her lips close over the spoon and curl into a smile as she released it. "Why'd you do that," she asked.

He leaned down and slid his lips up her neck to whisper in her ear, "You look hot when you win." To that she giggled and turned away again, but this time her arm was linked with his.

When they made it back to Puck's apartment, Rachel attempted to step in the direction of the couch but he wouldn't let her. Instead, he pulled her down the hallway. She assumed that he was headed for the bedroom but that wasn't the case either it seemed. When he opened the bathroom door and pushed her inside, she got a little confused.

"Noah," she spoke as she watched him getting towels out of the cabinet, "do I smell or something?" She pulled a lock of hair to her nose and sniffed. It smelled a little like the smoky jazz club but she didn't think it was that bad. Puck, bent over in front of the sink, looked up at her with wide eyes, like he didn't have a clue what she was talking about.

"What the hell? Why would you ask that?" Rachel sat down on the toilet seat so she was eyelevel with him and answered with a shrug.

"Well, I thought we would be going to the bedroom but you've dragged me in here and it looks as though you're preparing for a shower." To that, he started laughing. Like, seriously, the type of laughing you hear at a comedy show. Rachel crossed her arms and huffed as her heeled foot stomped at the tiled floor. "I don't see the humor," she muttered.

"Oh god, that's rich. You're s'posed to be the smart one." Rachel arched her brow and pursed her lips to show her annoyance. Noah got the picture and tried to stop laughing. A small chuckle would still escape though as he continued. "Look Rach, I've had to watch you in this dress all fucking night and I just can't anymore." Rachel looked down at her dress. She red fabric looked just fine to her. "No, ugh god, the dress is fine but you look, fuck!" At that, he leaned forward and slid his hand into her hair. Rachel immediately opened her mouth to him, lightly biting down on his tongue just a little before slipping her own past his lips. When pulled back after a second, her face was flushed and he grinned.

"Oh," was all she said. Puck stood to his feet and took her hands in his. Rachel toed her shoes off and kicked them to the door as she stood up in front of him. When he slid his hands around her back, she gasped lightly and squeezed his biceps as a shiver ran up her spine. He tugged at the zipper until it slid down her back, the dress opening finally. Puck pushed the dress down and noticed, much to his delight, that the damn thing must have had a built-in bra because she sure as hell didn't have one on! As the dress pooled around her feet, Rachel opened his vest and shoved it forcefully down his arms. After she'd removed his button-up, Puck laughed at the groan he received for wearing a wife-beater underneath that. His belt was gone before he could say anything though and she smiled as she discovered that, after his jeans were in a pile with the rest of their clothes, there were no more barriers except for her panties. His hands covered her hips and, in an instant, they were gone as well.

When they stepped under the hot spray of the shower, Puck pressed his mouth to her neck and sucked hard. He bit just a little too, just to prove to her that he was for real in this whole thing. If he was doing this relationship shit, he was gonna make damn sure everybody else knew what was his. Rachel kept moaning and rubbing her slickened body against his and when he stepped back, she pounced on him. While her lips were in the same place his had been on her, her hands were on his cock. It took him a second to realize that her mouth was marking him in the same way he'd done with her because, (_hello!_) her hands were stroking his dick! She laughed at the look on his face and tightened her grip. When her free hand grabbed him by the balls and squeezed just a little bit, he jerked away from her and pushed her up against the wall. She gasped at the cold tile on her back and instantly hooked her legs around his waist. With the water at his back, he braced his hips against Rachel and the wall and held her hands up above her head. When he followed a trail of water down from the hollow of her neck to the swell of her breast, she moaned and arched off of the wall to press her body closer. That final existing space between them was instantly closed as his rock hard member pressed into a wet heat that had nothing to do with the steam floating around them. Puck made the decision right there that three days without fucking her was too damn long and should never _ever _happen again. And now that she was his girlfriend, he officially had an excuse to make sure it never did. Neither of them realized how tightly they'd both been wound all night until Rachel suddenly exploded with words that could only be described as blissfully blasphemous. She saw an entirely different spectrum of light behind her lids, only to see it all again when Noah swelled inside her and detonated as well. Puck felt her arms wrap around his neck and wondered for just a second when the hell he'd let her hands go? But that thought was quickly dispersed as she scraped lightly at the back of his neck and he felt a little shudder go through his body. The sound of her breathy whispers made him grin as he exhaled heavily. He swirled his tongue around her nipple before latching onto it and sucking lightly. She giggled and leaned her head back against the wall.

"I've never done that before," she breathed, her hand gently tugging on the short hair at the nape of his neck. His brow arched in question and he released her nipple with a wet _pop_. He knew she was talking about the double-gasm she'd just had but he was smug and wanted to hear her say it out loud. She looked down and laughed as she slapped him on the shoulder. "You know what I'm talking about Noah, don't give me that look." He gripped her hips as she unwrapped her legs and allowed her to ease her feet to the floor of the shower. He held on to her for a second, to make sure she didn't fall, and then pushed her back under the stream of water.

After they were all clean, or dirty, depending on which set of clichés you'd like to choose from, they both stepped out and dried each other off. Rachel was bent over a little bit drying the excess water from her hair with a small hand towel when she heard Noah groan loudly behind her. With a coy smile, she flipped her head back up and looked over her shoulder. "See something you like, Noah," she asked. He moved so that she was wedged between him and the countertop and leaned over her body. His lips pressed against hers for a moment before he pulled back and smirked.

"My _girlfriend's_ got a nice ass."

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**a/n 2: if you put me on author alert, you'll get updates on all my little drabbles I write…just an idea.**


	10. Chapter 10

**a/n: you guys are amazing so please don't hate me. As you know, I can't write angst to save my life, and this chapter just proves it. It doesn't last long so don't worry and please don't flame me for this chapter. It had to happen. Love you guys too much. Just so you know, I cried about ninety times writing this chapter, that's why it took so long. So please review and tell me what you think. I don't own Glee…but I can dream can't I?**

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Puck really couldn't believe the turn his life had suddenly taken. A month ago, he'd been perfectly content with his life. He owned a successful nightclub with his best friend. His looks and attitude pretty much guaranteed that he could have a warm body in his bed whenever he wanted, which was usually most of the time. He had skills as a musician that most people only dreamed of and that's not even being cocky. He could even sing, he generally saved that talent for the shower but still, he could.

But now, it was all different.

Well, that's not entirely true. All that shit still applied to his life. He still owned a nightclub with his best friend. He still had those panty-melting looks and attitude. And he was still a badass musician. Only one thing was _actually_ different, but it made so many things change with it.

The big difference _now_ was that the warm body in his bed, was his girlfriend. Half the time, he didn't have a damn clue what he was doing in their relationship. He figured that as long as he stayed out of other chicks' pants, he was safe. Funny thing was, that wasn't even hard. He'd see women at nights in the club and things like interest, attraction, and sex were the last things on his mind. Yeah, the first couple of times that happened, he actually checked himself to make sure his junk was still there. But then he would have that 'oh yeah' moment and remember that the girl in his phone with a star next to her name was the reason all these other women didn't even make him take a second glance.

Rachel was pretty awesome. He would say stuff at times that he totally knew was the wrong thing to say before it even left his mouth, (like the one time he told her that he used to hate chicks with small tits until he met her) and she would laugh at him like it was nothing. They argued over stupid shit that usually ended up not making any sense at all and just made them hot. Once, he started an argument with her over cereal _just_ for the sex that he knew it would end in. Angry sex with Rachel was almost better than regular sex with Rachel. Well, let's be honest here. It was never _regular_ sex. She was crazy in bed (table, shower, wall, almost in the subway, floor, couch, etc.) and it rocked.

The thing he liked the most about their relationship, besides the fact that his fear of that word was pretty much gone, was that not that much had changed with them. They still fucked pretty much every time the opportunity presented itself. They still went out with their group. And yeah it was totally called 'their group' now. Tina and Santana, Mike and Brittany, Rachel and him, they were this couple-y group that did couple-y shit together. Well, they would all go out to breakfast at Ethel's after the club and then the girls would drag them shopping with them. They outnumbered them two to one, so it was kind of useless to fight it. Besides, Puck knew that if he could get Rachel to buy something sexy, he'd totally be the one ripping it off of her later. It was a pretty fair trade if you asked him.

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Rachel came home from rehearsal to find Tina, Santana, and Brittany sprawled out on their couch. She looked at them curiously and they just waved back at her. Brittany and Tina both looked like they were on the edge of tears and Santana had the same look of concentration she wore when she was holding back tears. When she turned her head to the TV screen, it all made sense. Jack Dawson was sliding off of the door and into the freezing ocean. That's when she heard the sniffle from Brittany and it seemed as though that released the floodgates for all three of the couch's occupants.

"Why are you guys watching _Titanic_," Rachel asked. They looked over at her and then back to the TV for a second as though they were all trying to remember just why they were watching the tear jerking movie. Then Santana tearfully replied,

"Well, me and T started watching _Armageddon_, and then Brittany and Mike came by. Puck called Mike about something for the club so he had to leave. After that, we watched _The Notebook_ and now we're on _Titanic_." Rachel ticked her eyebrow with a smirk on her face and crossed her arms.

"I thought you had a shoot today San?" Rachel smiled at the big grin that came to Santana's face.

"I did. Tina wanted to see what a real shoot looked like so I brought her with me. One of the models didn't show up today so," she paused and waited for Rachel to make the connection. Rachel looked back at Santana and then to Tina, whose goofy grin matched that of her girlfriend's.

"So they used Tina because she's exactly what they're looking for," Rachel guessed. Santana shot her arms up into the air only to swing them around Tina and hug her close.

"Yes," she screamed. "At first, we were just going to put her in the background as a body but then when we put the clothes on her, everything came together and now the agency wants to sign her!" Rachel's eyes widened as she looked back at the girls on the couch.

"Oh my god, Tina that's incredible. Are you going to sign?" Tina grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't really know yet. I mean, I never really thought of myself as a model. I just agreed to it today to help San out, and because that lace corset was to die for. But then I actually had fun. It's something to think about at least. I only have to do the books for the guys once a week so it's not like it would interfere with my job at the club. And I would get to see San a lot more which is obviously a plus. I'm still weighing my options right now though. Nothing's set in stone." Rachel grinned and walked down the hall to her room to put her bag up. As she walked back into the living room, she hugged Tina and congratulated her.

"Whatever you decide will be amazing T. You have to let us know the second you make your decision." She motioned for Brittany to scoot over but the blonde remained in her spot.

"You know the drill Rach," she giggled up at her. "Puck might like the way you smell after rehearsal but we don't. Shower!" To that, Santana and Tina nodded their heads and laughed as well. Rachel huffed and put her hands on her hips.

"Well it's nice to know you guys will always keep me grounded." All three couch squatters kept laughing as Rachel made her way back down the hallway to the bathroom. As she pulled her tank top over her head and peeled her yoga pants down her thighs, she kind of agreed with the girls. She was just a bit rank. Rehearsals had been brutal that day. Jason had insisted that they do a run-through of all the dance numbers including the songs. He's a bit of a perfectionist so that run-through turned into a full day of dance numbers. But she loved every crazy second of it. So with a smile on her face, she stepped under the steady stream and began to wash away the day's grime.

"So Brit told me that when she was in high school, her diary would just go missing all the time and she always found it behind her cat's litter box. When she told her crew that story, they thought it was an awesome idea for a name." Puck practically had tears in his eyes from Mike's story. They'd finished at the club and were in the elevator of Rachel and Santana's building, heading up to their room. During the walk over from the club, Mike had started talking about some of the weird stuff that Brittany said all the time which made Puck ask about her crew name.

"Dude, your girlfriend's says the dumbest shit sometimes. Can you imagine what she was like in high school?" Mike got a dreamy look on his face when Puck said that and chuckled.

"I'm thinking she was pretty fucking cool." The elevator doors dinged open and the boys stepped out into the hallway of the girls' apartment. They walked down the hall and when they got to the door, they shared the same look of mischief they always shared before doing what they were about to do. Both men raised their fists up to their chests and started beating the door mercilessly. When the door opened, they were met with the terrifying gaze of one very pissed off Santana Lopez.

"Fucking quit it assholes! If we get kicked out of our apartment because you two insist on being douchebags every time you come over together, you're responsible for finding us another place to live." She turned on her heel and walked back over to the couch to sit beside Tina. Puck just followed Mike into the apartment and shrugged.

"What's the big deal there Lopez? Tina's got plenty of room for you in her new place and Rach can come stay with me." As he looked down at the floor to see Rachel's bag beside the door, he completely missed the shell-shocked look on everyone's faces. "Where is she anyway?" Brittany answered,

"In the shower." Puck nodded his head and made his way back to Rachel's room, leaving everyone in the living room with mouths agape. When they heard the bedroom door shut, Santana leaned up and looked at Mike.

"Did he just say that he wants Rach to move in with him? Because that's what I heard." The Asian man just wrapped his arm around Brittany shoulders and pulled her closer.

"When it comes to Rach, I don't think he actually thinks about half the shit he says. It kinda just comes out sometimes."

Rachel wrapped her towel tightly around her body when she stepped out, having heard Mike's voice coming from the living room laughing with the girls. When she poked her head out of the bathroom just enough to see the people on the couch, she was disappointed to not see her boyfriend. He must have had more work to finish at the club or something. Her shoulders slumped a little as she walked back to her room to get dressed and call Noah to see how much longer he would be.

"_Damn_," Rachel whirled around to see Noah sitting on her bed, legs open, practically in invitation. She smiled at him but remained by her door.

"Hey you." He smirked at her and leaned back on the bed.

"Rach, have I ever told you how hot you look when you're wet?" Rachel laughed and leaned back against the door.

"Well yes you have, but you're generally on a completely separate subject." He chuckled and stood up from her bed, a predatory look in his eye as he walked towards her. He skimmed his hands down her body, over the terrycloth that covered her, and leaned in closer. She inhaled sharply when she felt his hand slowly making its way up her thigh. Her breath hitched in her throat when his finger glided across her folds. Noah hummed low in his throat and looked at her with a smirk.

"Nope, same subject babe." To that, Rachel shoved him back towards her bed. He sat down and grinned when she climbed on top of him. His hands immediately slid the towel down around her hips and pulled her closer. Rachel tipped his head back and lightly bit his bottom lip before slipping her tongue inside. She ground her hips down against him and moaned softly when he gripped her just a little tighter. Rachel pressed her chest into his to get him to lay back on the bed. When he did, she placed her hands over his head and smiled at him. But just as she leaned back down to press her lips to his once more, the door opened behind them.

"Oh my god! Seriously you guys, we're all in the next fucking room and you two are in here going at it." Rachel groaned and sat up on Noah's crotch but placed her hands on his chest so that he had to remain in his position. Rachel pulled the towel back up and secured it around her body.

"Santana, that's never stopped you and Tina so I don't really think you're in a position to judge. Remember her apartment warming party?" Apparently she'd wiggled just a little too much when she turned her body to speak with her friend because Noah's grip on her hips tightened and he rose up from the bed.

"Babe, you can't start talking about shit like positions and stuff when I can't do anything about it." Santana groaned behind them and said,

"_Hello_! I'm still here!" Rachel giggled and Noah looked around her to see the woman in the doorway.

"And that's _our_ fault," he replied. "We didn't invite you." Rachel laughed out loud at that but clamped her hand over her mouth right after.

"Rachel," Santana seethed, "you need to check your boyfriend." Rachel grinned and turned back to face Noah. With her gaze, she traced his forehead, then down to his eyebrows and eyes, the bridge of his nose, his cheekbones, ending with his lips. She lithely replied to Santana without turned her eyes from his lips,

"Oh he's checked, no need to worry about that." Santana growled at them and said,

"Good god, when you two finally crawl off of each other, we're all going out to dinner. You should probably get dressed, instead of the other way around." She shut the door behind her and Rachel grinned as she heard her stomp back down the hallway. She moved off of his lap to sit beside him, so he turned his head and kissed her shoulder. As his lips moved across her shoulder and to her neck, she released a sound that was totally on his list of top two favorite sounds, the other being her _moaning_ his name. When his hand slipped under the towel once more, she groaned and moved to stand.

"Noah, I should really get dressed. If we're going out for dinner, I can't exactly go in a towel." He hung his head slightly and then watched as she rummaged through her closet, finally pulling out a plaid shirt that he convinced her to buy one time when he and Mike had been dragged to the stores with the girls. He grinned. He liked it when she wore his plaid shirts, but then when she had her own, it was fucking awesome too. She pulled a bra and panty set out of her top drawer and shot him a sultry smile before the towel dropped to the floor. Rachel pulled the panties up her legs only to hear him moan out loud. When the bra was in place, she slipped her arms into the sleeves of the shirt and buttoned it up. She pulled her jeans on but didn't button them, and instead walked back over to where Noah was reclined on the bed to stand in front of him. "Would you like to do the honors Noah," she asked with a grin. He chuckled in response and looked up at her through his lashes.

"Babe, I'm generally better at taking your pants off, not the other way around." But then, he slid his hands up her denim-clad thighs and pulled the button through its hole. He very briefly entertained the idea of tugging her zipper up with his teeth but then he realized he'd probably get his nose or his tongue stuck in the little metal teeth of the zipper. I mean, he was good but he probably wasn't _that_ good. Once the zipper was all the way up, he moved his hands so that they were lightly gripping her hips and pulled her so that she was once more straddling his legs.

Rachel pressed her lips to his again with a smile and stroked her hand over his head. She ran her fingers across the short bristles of his hair. Puck knew she liked his hair. She always tugged on it a little bit when they were having sex and rarely missed a chance to do what she was currently doing, running her fingers through it. He grinned and pulled her just a little closer, feeling her soft body become even softer, more pliant, under his touch. Suddenly, a loud banging was heard on the other side of her door.

"Come on you guys! We're hungry." Rachel started laughing at the desperation in Mike's voice and pulled herself away from the man on her bed. She quickly stepped into her tennis shoes and pulled her damp hair back into a ponytail. Noah had stood up and was in the process of walking over to her when she stumbled over her untied laces. He instantly grabbed onto her arms to steady her and the smile he received in return made him melt just a little bit on the inside.

"Didn't your dads teach you how to tie your shoes?" Rachel straightened up and hit him on the shoulder.

"Shut up Noah."

The group ended up going to an Indian restaurant around the block for dinner. About halfway through, Rachel leaned her head over on Puck's shoulder and yawned. He turned his head and looked at her, noticing how droopy her eyes were.

"You tired babe," he questioned. She rubbed her eyes a little bit and nodded.

"Rehearsals have been exhausting for the past few days. Jason is such a perfectionist that he makes _me_ look lazy half the time. But this is what I've been waiting for my whole life. Knowing that in a month, the curtain is going to open and I'm going to be standing there as Maria, it's incredible." He leaned his head over on top of hers and took a sip of his drink. Before he could say anything, Brittany leaned across the table and said,

"Rach, I've never been to a Broadway play before. How much are the tickets gonna be?" Rachel raised her head and laughed lightly, while Santana just nudged the blonde girl with a smile.

"Brit, we don't pay to see Rachel's shows." Brittany's eyes widened with alarm and she looked around to make sure no one else was looking at their table before lowering her voice and asking,

"Are we sneaking in?" Mike practically howled with laughter and hugged her close. Rachel noticed the way her face fell slightly, not enjoying being the butt of the joke, and reached her hand across the table to cover hers.

"Brittany, I can get tickets for you guys so you'll be able to get in for free. Don't worry about it." The pretty dancer smiled at her and nodded her head

"That's really nice of you Rachel. Thank you." Rachel nodded her head and then leaned back on Noah's shoulder. She didn't realize how tired she was until she woke with a start to everyone laughing around her.

"I think she's cute when she snores."

"Hey T, guess what. I'm the only one who gets to say my girlfriend's cute alright." He turned his head and kissed her temple. "Hey welcome back babe." Rachel felt something wet on her lip and realized that she had drooled a little in her sleep. As she looked around the table, she noticed that everyone else's plates were empty. She groaned and turned her head from side to side, trying to alleviate the tension in her neck. Almost immediately, she felt Noah's hands on her neck, gently working out the knots in her muscles. Her head dropped and she hummed in relief. "You're really tight baby." To that, she heard giggles from Tina and Santana.

"Hmm, you say that a lot Noah." Everyone burst out with laughter from that and she heard him scoff.

"Oh shut up! The one time I actually don't mean anything sexual and you guys just _had_ to take it there." The laughter got a little louder as everyone started gathering their things to leave.

When they were walking back to the girls' apartment, it occurred to Puck that it'd been years since he'd seen Rachel onstage and he honestly didn't feel like waiting another month.

"Hey Rach, do you think I could drop by your rehearsal tomorrow?" When Rachel looked up at him with her eyes all big and bright, with this little smile on her face like he'd just saved a kitten from a burning building or something, his stomach did a tiny flip.

"You want to come to my rehearsal?" He nodded his head and hugged her closer.

"Well yeah, am I allowed or is it like super secret or something?" Rachel giggled and yawned again. If nothing else, he wanted to see why she was really so tired all the time. She talked about days just dancing and going through lines and singing and quite frankly, that didn't sound like it was that hard. But he really wanted to hear her again. She had an amazing voice and he could probably listen to her sing twenty-four seven.

"Of course you're allowed Noah. Jason was actually asking about you the other day. He'll be glad to see you again." Puck rolled his eyes just a little bit. He could remember the flamboyant man who was Rachel's director pretty clearly in his mind. They'd only met once, that night at the cast party, and even then he seemed a little much. But Rachel was always going on and on about how professional he was so Puck held onto a tiny spark of hope that just maybe the man toned it down for the work environment.

"So what time should I show up for this?" They turned a corner when Rachel answered,

"Any time after lunch should be okay. That'll be after warm-ups and loose run-throughs. Is that good for you?" He turned to face her and cupped her face in his hands before fusing his lips to hers. Her response was instant as she wrapped her arms around his neck, making him smile just a little when he felt her tug on the hair at the nape of his neck. "Noah," she murmured, and he just kissed her harder as he allowed his hands to shadow down her neck and over her shoulders. They stopped at the gentle swell of her hips and pulled her just a little closer. Rachel loosened her grip on him and pulled away just slightly. "Noah, I really," he cut her off with a short kiss and nodded his head.

"You gotta sleep tonight, I know babe. Why do you think I'm not letting you talk that much right now? I gotta get it all out now." He smiled and kissed her on the forehead before they started walking again. That's when they noticed that everyone else had stopped to wait for them and had watched their whole little make-out fest. Puck shot them all a look and said, "You guy's see something interesting?" Everyone immediately started walking again, but not before smirking in their direction.

Once they reached the girls' apartment building, Puck decided it'd probably be better if he didn't go up with Rachel. He knew that she actually needed to rest and he was positive that if he had her alone for two seconds, rest would be the last thing on their minds. Rachel was standing on the steps just above him and looking down at him with her eyes all tired but somehow still big and beautiful smiling at him.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Puck chuckled at her and poked at her sides with his thumbs.

"I'll be there babe, somebody's gotta make sure you don't fall on her face." Rachel laughed and squirmed in his arms as he continued to prod her with his fingers.

"Puckerman if you don't quit it, I'm gonna punch you in your kidneys!" Puck barked out a laugh as he just wrapped his arms around her torso and hauled her off the step.

"You sure about that Berry? Last time you tried that, you killed your hand." Rachel kicked her legs up in the air as he swung her around and yelled,

"It's not my fault you have such stupid hard abs!" Rachel burst into another fit of giggles as he let her back down on the ground. She turned around, fully prepared to poke him right in the gut, but was met with his knowing smirk instead. He took her wrists lightly in his hands and pinned them to her side.

"You totally love my stupid hard abs." Her eyes softened a little bit as she stepped closer to him. With a tiny calculating smile on her face, she circled her arms around his neck and tilted her head up.

"You're certainly right about that Noah." Rachel pulled his head down to hers and kissed him quickly. He grinned at her and kissed her again.

"Go on, I'll be there tomorrow." She nodded her head and pulled away. When she turned away to go up the stairs, he gave slapped her ass quickly, making her turn and shoot him a half-hearted glare. Puck just shrugged and said, "Had to have something to keep me warm tonight." Rachel rolled her eyes and waved goodbye before disappearing (sort of) behind the glass door. He stood outside, with a stupid looking smile on his face, until she stepped into the elevator.

When Rachel finally opened the door to the apartment, Santana noticed this little content smile on her best friend's face. Sure, it was the same smile that she usually wore since being with Puck, but there was something just a little different about it that made her stand up and walk over to Rachel before she could retreat to her bedroom.

"You're falling for Puck, aren't you?" Rachel's sleepy eyes went wide with alarm and she backed up from Santana.

"What are you talking about? That's absurd." Santana's eyebrow arched and she crossed her arms in front of her. Rachel huffed in defeat. "It's too soon, we've only been dating a month." Santana released a breath and then wrapped her arms around Rachel in a frighteningly tight hug, like a boa constrictor.

"You _are_ falling for him!" Rachel smiled but pushed her away.

"You keep your mouth shut Santana Lopez. I'm not saying anything unless I'm absolutely sure of it and that means you sure as hell aren't to breathe a word of this to anyone." Santana raised her hands in surrender but grinned at her friend's back as the smaller woman made her way down the hallway. Rachel was totally falling, if not already fallen, for Puck.

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Puck looked in the mirror the next morning when he stepped out of the shower. Like most days, his mind went to Rachel. He knew her rehearsals started pretty early so there was no point in calling her. That's when he really realized how excited he was to see her perform again. He could remember the one performance he'd seen, but then just barely because at the time, he probably could've cared less so he hadn't exactly been paying attention. He didn't want to miss this for the world. He got dressed and grabbed a slice of leftover pizza from the refrigerator. When he'd gotten home the night before, he couldn't get Rachel out of his head, which led to a raging hard-on that he had to take care of. As he left his apartment and made his way downstairs to hail a cab, he exhaled a little.

Rachel was amazing and he'd wondered more than once why she even bothered with him half the time. He knew that she could have pretty much any guy in the theatre scene, you know, any of the straight guys. He saw the way people looked at them when they went out together, like she was too good for him or like he was using her. It pissed him off. It's not like dating her had helped his club or anything. Well, that's not totally true. He had noticed that the club was a little bit more packed on the nights that Rachel came, but that wasn't his fault. The paps followed her sometimes so they were always blogging about her whereabouts whenever they could. He wasn't dating her for her fame, he actually liked her. It just sucked when people said otherwise. It actually worried him sometimes that she'd start listening to all those people. Or maybe realize that yes, she _was_ too good for him and remedy that right away. He couldn't remember ever feeling insecure about a woman before. But then again, he couldn't remember feeling the same way about any other woman as he felt about Rachel. He wasn't even that sure what it was, but it kind of scared the shit out of him.

When he got out of the cab in front of the theatre, he walked up to the doors but was stopped by a security guard just inside the doorway.

"Hey you, this is a closed rehearsal. You can't go in there." Puck raised his eyebrow in challenge to the old man and crossed his arms.

"I'm with Rachel Berry." The guard snorted his disbelief and Puck could've laid him out right there.

"Okay kid, we'll see about that. What's your name?" Puck rolled his eyes and replied,

"Noah Puckerman asshole. Jason Reid knows that I'm supposed to be here today." He was totally bluffing on the last part. He didn't have a clue if Rachel had said anything about him being there, but he figured if the guy had been asking about him it was safe to assume that he expected him there eventually. The guy took a walkie talkie out of his pocket and clicked it on.

"Hey man, some kid says his name is Noah Puckerman Asshole is out here, wants me to let him in. Says Mr. Reid is expecting him. _Claims_ to be with Ms. Berry." There was some garbled response that apparently the old geezer understood because he looked back at Puck and said, "Well kid, looks like it's your lucky day. Doors are right there." Just for good measure, and to wipe the shit-eating smirk off of the old man's face, Puck flipped him off right before he opened the doors.

When he looked up at the stage, he couldn't believe his eyes. Rachel was up there dancing with the rest of the cast, he guessed one of the big dance numbers that she'd been talking about, and she looked incredible.

"Magnificent, isn't she?" He looked to his side to see to that Jason was standing beside him with one arm crossed over his chest and the other just kind of floating there in front of his body. Puck looked back to Rachel onstage and just nodded his head, completely speechless. "Did William give you trouble? I'm sorry about that. He's become such a prick in his old age." Puck just chuckled in agreement but didn't take his eyes off the stage. The way she moved, like the music was an extension of her body, was amazing. Even though the rest of the cast onstage was singing, he could pick her voice out just as if she was the only one making a sound. She was beautiful.

Jason looked at Puck with a smirk before trotting down the aisle towards the stage. Puck didn't follow but instead sat down in the closest seat to him. He watched as Jason stopped them, had them return to a specific step and repeat it until everyone was in time. Then, he had them stop dancing, find their notes and harmonies, and then they all sang the song through one time before starting all over again. He could definitely see what Rachel meant when she'd said Jason was a perfectionist. Some blonde chick practically stayed off key the whole damn time and Jason finally just got fed up with her and moved on to a scene that didn't include her.

The scene he skipped to apparently only required Rachel and the male lead, the dude playing Tony. He was pretty sure his name was Austin something or other. They started out with the first lines of the scene and then that turned into a song. Puck had never actually seen _West Side Story_ before but what came next, he wasn't expecting at all. It made him want to punch something. The two of them started kissing. Like, seriously kissing. He watched as Jason yelled 'cut' only to have them repeat it a few more times. Each time their lips met, somehow it managed to get even more heated between the two of them.

There was a roaring sound in his ears, shit was spinning. Puck could feel his stomach turning in his gut, like he was about to throw up. She was up there on that stage, making out with that guy, like it was the last time she'd ever kiss anybody for the rest of her life. His jaw clenched and his fists balled at his sides before he could stop them. He didn't want to admit the fact that the reason it affected him so much to see her with the other guy was because he cared about her more than he should, more than she obviously cared about him. With his jaw firmly set, he stood up and walked out of the theatre, past the security guard and out onto the sidewalk. When he was finally outside, he still couldn't breathe. It felt as though someone had ripped his heart out, which was fucked up because he was pretty damn sure he didn't quite feel that way about her…pretty sure… But every damn time he blinked, all he could see was his girlfriend making out with someone who wasn't him and looking like she was enjoying the hell out of it.

His eyes stung and his body wanted to turn around and run back into that theatre, just to punch something. Anybody, that security guard, the guy holding his girlfriend. Well, he was pretty sure he could stop calling her that now. You can't fake a kiss like that, and if she could, well who's to say she didn't fake it when she was with him. He didn't even want to think about what else she could fake. He forced himself to walk into the little coffee shop across the street. As he ordered his coffee and sat down, he felt numb. He stared out the window and thought of all the plans he'd unintentionally made that were now shot to hell. He'd planned on having a surprise premier party for Rachel and her cast at the club when the play finally started. Tina had talked about the six of them driving upstate for New Year's. He'd already started checking out suits and stuff for The Tony Awards because he'd been pretty positive that he would've been her date. Santana was always talking about doing a group photo-shoot whenever she got enough free time and he'd actually gotten a tiny bit excited about having a photo taken with Rachel that he would actually be aware of the fact that it was being taken. He'd contemplated once or twice on 'fessing up to his mother about Rachel, and not even to get her off his back, just because Rachel made him happy. That was messed up. His eyes started stinging again and his stomach rolled once more at just how much he'd allowed Rachel inside.

He didn't realize how long he'd sat there until his phone started ringing in his pocket. It was Rachel. "What do you want Berry?" It felt wrong using her last name but he had to distance himself from her as soon as possible.

"Um, well, Jason decided to end rehearsal early and he told me that you had come but I couldn't find you in the theatre. Where are you?" At that point, he looked outside and saw her standing in front of the theatre. He couldn't help the way his skin tightened in his hands and he balled them to fists once more. As if she could sense him, her head turned in the direction of the coffee shop window and she said, "Never mind, I see you. Give me just a second." She hung up her phone and started walking across the street. When she walked into the coffee shop and stepped over to his table, he turned his head when she leaned in to kiss him. The confused look she gave him pissed him off, pissed him off that he cared. "Noah, are you okay?" She sat down across from him and had the gall to look worried about him.

"I think we should see other people," he said simply, even though it felt like his insides were breaking. Rachel's eyes went wide as she sat back in the chair. She blinked a few times and her eyes got a little misty.

"That's not funny Noah. What's wrong with you?" He scoffed and hardened his gaze.

"Maybe I just realized that we just don't fit together. I'm pretty sure you'd have a lot more fun with one of those guys in your play than you'd have with me anyway. Sure looked like you were having a blast up on that stage with your leading man." Rachel started breathing a little bit heavier for a second before meeting his eyes again, a tear slowly trickled down her cheek.

"Noah I, where is this coming from? You were fine last night. I don't understand." She sniffled and it almost broke him. He shook his head and stood up.

"Yeah well maybe last night I didn't have to watch you making out with another guy like your fucking life depended on it. Didn't look like you needed me very much. I don't need this shit." He heard her standing up as he walked to the door but he just kept going. He was a few feet down the sidewalk when he felt his arm being pulled back.

"Noah, you turn around and talk to me damn it! You can't just walk away from me without any explanation. If you're trying to pick a fight because you want the make-up sex, I am _not_ amused. And as for the 'making out with another guy', you're insane! It's acting, it doesn't mean anything. I can't change a classic simply because my boyfriend doesn't want me to kiss anyone else." She moved her hands over his forearms but he shook her off.

"Guess what, you don't have to worry about that last part anymore. You can go kiss whoever the fuck you want to now. Hell, screw your whole damn cast if you want. I don't give a shit anymore. Guess you were just biding your time until someone better came along." Rachel's bottom lip quivered and he needed to get far away from her before he took everything he'd just said back. "Hey, we had a good run. Lasted longer than I thought it would. I'm done." And with that, he turned on his heel and started walking the other direction.

Rachel stood frozen to her spot, tears streaming down her face. She didn't understand what had just happened. It felt like someone had just ripped her heart out and spat on it. Her hands balled into fists at her sides and she breathed in and out slowly trying to calm the blood in her veins. Nothing he'd said made any sense at all. They fit together perfectly, he balanced her out. She didn't want a theatre guy. If she had of, she could pretty much have her pick. He'd been the one to ask if he could come to her rehearsal to watch. How could seeing her kiss Austin, the male lead in a story about young love, make him doubt everything they'd built. She'd let down her walls and let him in. It was impossible for her not to. He had this quality about him that both relaxed and excited her at the same time. Santana had been right; she was falling for him, fast and hard. Which only made his surprise abrupt rejection hurt that much more. For the first time in her life, Rachel was at a complete loss for what she should do.

**

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Santana had to remind herself to be calm. When Rachel had come home that afternoon in tears, feebly trying to explain the reason for those tears, Santana saw red. She'd been with Rachel through all of her boyfriends over the years and never had one affected her the way Puck had. Rachel was her best friend and she'd be damned if anyone was going to treat her like that. From what Rachel had told her, Puck had seen her at rehearsal kissing 'Tony' and apparently couldn't handle it. As Rachel had sat on the couch and repeated Puck's words with a broken voice, Santana just wanted to beat the shit out of him for hurting the woman who was the closest thing to a sister she'd ever had.

So that was why she was currently walking down the hallway of Puck's apartment building with a portfolio entitled 'Family Photos' tucked under her arm at two in the morning. She'd had to wait until Rachel cried herself to sleep. When she got to his door, her fist clenched and repeatedly hit it as hard as she could. He didn't have a peephole so he wouldn't know who it was banging on his door. When he finally opened the door, she could tell he hadn't been asleep. Maybe brooding, but certainly not asleep. This fact pleased her. She didn't wait for an invitation to come inside, just pushed him out of the way and stepped into his living room.

"What are _you_ doing here," he growled at her. Santana tossed the album on his couch and turned around.

"I missed giving you the 'you hurt her, you die' speech so I'll just skip to the second part." And with that, her hand flew out across his face in a slap that she could tell hurt like hell. While he was disoriented and holding his cheek from where her hand had met his face, she shoved at his chest and pushed him back against the door. "You asshole! What has she ever done to you that could possibly make her deserve the way you've made her feel?" Puck stood up a little straighter and yelled right back,

"She was kissing some other guy!" Santana rolled her eyes and shoved him again just for good measure.

"She's an actress! That's her fucking job! It doesn't mean anything. This is the role she's been waiting for her entire life and now you've fucked it up because you suddenly decided to get insecure." Puck just groaned and shuffled over to the couch and sat down still rubbing his cheek.

"Yeah well you didn't see the kiss. Nobody's that good at acting." Santana raised her eyebrow in challenge when he looked up at her and walked over to where she'd tossed the photo album. Her fingers flipped through the pictures until she found the one she was looking for. It was a picture she'd taken the last time they'd gone home for the holidays. In the photo, Rachel was sitting in the middle of the floor in her dads' living room surrounded by her nine Tony Awards. She shoved the album at Puck's chest and replied,

"Rachel _is_, you moron. Have you ever even seen _West Side Story_? It's a love story, therefore if Rachel didn't look like she enjoyed kissing the guy, she wouldn't be doing her job. Now I don't know if you've bothered to take your head out of your ass long enough to realize this but, those awards are kind of big deal. Winning _one_ is a big fucking deal. Count them asshole, there are _nine_ of them! They've been rehearsing for a few weeks now and there's already talk of another nomination for her. Do you know how many people have won ten Tony's in their lifetime? Not a lot. So yeah, she's _is_ that good at acting." Puck just stared at the photo for the longest time without saying anything. Santana finally snatched the book out of his hands and sat down on the opposite end of the couch facing him. "Now, you wanna tell me what this is all about because I saw you two yesterday and 'seeing other people' wasn't even in your vocabulary. What happened?" Puck exhaled heavily and sat back against the couch. After a few more second passed, he mumbled,

"She's too good for me." To that, Santana burst out laughing.

"Well duh you idiot, of course she's too good for you. Did you figure that out this morning?" Puck shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms, not really wanting to answer.

"Been thinking about it lately. When I went to the theatre this afternoon, the fucking security guard didn't believe that I was with her. I've seen the way guys look at her, like they're just waiting for her to realize that she's with the wrong person. I just sped that up for her. She'll be fine." Santana leaned over and smacked him square in the chest.

"Hey you didn't see her when she got home from rehearsal. I've never seen her cry that much in my life. And I've been to both of her grandfathers' funerals. Puck, Rachel is with you because she wants to be. Believe me, if she thought she was better than you, she wouldn't have given you the time of day that night in the club when you asked her to dance. And you should know better than to make decisions for her. Now look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to be with her, that you two don't _fit_ together. Because that's a bunch of bullshit and you know it!" Puck stared at his blank television screen. The last few hours had probably been the most miserable he'd ever had in his life, and that includes the time he got food poisoning from the Thai restaurant down the street. From what Santana said, Rachel wasn't really having a great time either. Suddenly, he felt like the biggest asshole on the planet.

"Shit," he mumbled under his breath. Santana crossed her arms and shot him a look that clearly said 'I told you so'.

"Just answer this. Ever since we met you, you've been cocky to the point of arrogance. Why would you pick now of all times to get insecure about Rachel? You guys have been dating for like a month. I know Rachel has never been happier, and both Mike and Tina say you walk around with a goofy grin on your face all the time now. I just don't understand. How is that you can possibly think that Rachel has been faking it this whole time? Why the hell would she fake anything with you? Why would she bother with keeping you around if she didn't like you? I mean, I've heard Rachel's screams but the sex can't be that good." Puck knew he was screwed when he didn't even feel like smiling at the last comment.

"Is she pissed," he asked. Santana scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but she's hurt more than anything. She trusted you and let you in. You got enough of her to hurt her and I can bet you anything that she's regretting that now. You told me you wouldn't hurt her Puck. You lied to me. You lied to me and you hurt my best friend. I shouldn't even be talking to you right now." Puck turned his head, eyes glistening, and asked,

"Why _are_ you talking to me anyway?"

"Like I said, you hurt my best friend. I had every intention of beating the shit out of you. And since I know you won't hit a girl, especially your sister's girlfriend, it was gonna be pretty easy. But then you opened the door and I realized that you'd hurt yourself more than I ever could. You need to fix this and soon. Rachel is a total professional but I can almost guarantee that the second she steps into that rehearsal in a few hours, she's gonna break all over again. I know that she still cares about you, despite what a fucktard you became all of a sudden. When she finally fell asleep, she had her phone in her hand like she was hoping you would call or trying to get up the nerve to call you." Puck breathed out and realized just how much he'd fucked up what a good thing he had.

"I've gotta get her back."

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**a/n 2: and that's why I don't write angst! I'm a fluffmaster but angst kicks my ass. Don't worry! The fluffmaster returns next chapter! wow…that sounded way too conceited. Disregard the last three sentences.**


	11. Chapter 11

**a/n: okay, first off, I would like to apologize for last chapter. It had to happen! I promise it did. But anyway, the general consensus of reviews for last chapter consisted of "FIX THEM!" well, guess what I did. I fixed them so don't hate me anymore okay? Okay? The fluffmaster returned! I have a few dedications for this chapter. I want to dedicate this chapter to truelovepooh because she's always amazing to me and I feel so guilty that I have the best prompt sitting on my computer from her and this story keeps preventing my muse from focusing on it. For that, I included something in this chapter for her, hope you see it and love it! Second dedication goes to foreverGleek20, my wonderful amazing twitter twin! She's been the best sounding board for my ideas on this chapter and I could never thank her enough! Her thoughts and reviews make me feel like I've accomplished something worthwhile. Thank you bb! And the last dedication goes to missidaaa for being The Other One and just legit awesomesauce! Your crazy long rambles make me smile for days. I could re-read your reviews on my worst days and stuff doesn't suck so much anymore. Anyway, dedications over, I don't own Glee, read & enjoy! Oh yeah, this is probably the most sex I've ever put into one chapter before of anything I've written.**

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Rachel rolled over in her bed and stared at the ceiling. Instantly, her eyes watered. Yesterday hadn't been some terrible dream. It was all too real. Her chest still felt tight, her hand still clinched around her cell phone. She'd never expected it to hurt this much. Honestly, she'd never expected it to hurt at all. He'd been pretty clear since the beginning that he had every intention of sticking around. He'd gone out of his way to prove it to her at times. She'd been very clear about her apprehension from the start but he tried whatever he could to make her see that he was interested in her for real. Every emotional wall she'd built for herself would become like vapor when he was around, leaving her completely bare before him. She'd sworn to herself that after Jesse, she would stop letting herself believe that she would ever find the leading man she'd dreamed of as a little girl. But Noah had swooped in and made her feel that maybe she didn't really need the leading man of an ingénue's dreams, because the places he led her to were often better than any stage she'd graced in her career. She'd let him in, allowed herself to trust him with her emotions, with her mind and body. She refused to believe that he had her heart. That wasn't happening.

She quickly wiped the tears away that had gathered on the edges of her lashes and crawled out of her bed. There was no way on earth that she was going to allow her personal life to interfere with her professional life, even if it seemed as though her professional life had somewhat gotten her into this mess. The entire situation confused her to no end but she wasn't going to give in to his stupidity. She'd made it very clear that she cared for him, and she could feel it in his touch that he felt the same. His words came back to her and she blinked back even more tears while she got dressed for rehearsals. Apparently not clear enough.

As she walked down the sidewalk towards the theatre, she unintentionally looked across the street to the little coffee shop. In that instant, the entire scene from the day before played out in her mind. She steeled herself against the sting in her eyes and the nausea in her stomach.

When she opened the doors to the theatre, her skin bristled. That scent, the grass and sun and man smell that was all him, flooded her senses. He was there somewhere. She looked around the lobby but didn't see him, but she could feel it. He was there, or he had been there before her. His scent lingered in the air around her. She refused to let him get to her. Rachel quickly squared her shoulders and walked through the doors into the theatre's auditorium. That's when she saw him. It was only the back of his head, but she knew it was him. He was sitting in the front row, speaking with Jason. Instantly, her anger flared. Who was he to humiliate her on the sidewalk one day and then have the nerve to think he was allowed back to a place as sacred as _her_ theatre? She walked past each seat with a renewed hurt and vigor directed at the man who'd caused it.

"What the hell is he doing here," she spat with all the venom she could muster. Puck's neck nearly snapped when he turned his head at the sound of her voice. Even as furious as he knew she was, she was still gorgeous. "Jason, I don't want him here. He, he, he shouldn't be here." For a moment, Jason looked sympathetic for her, but then his eyes flickered to the muscled man at his side and the sympathy seemed to switch to him.

"Rachel sweetie, I think you might want to listen to what he has to say." _Traitor!_, Rachel screamed in her mind. She shot him a glare that could melt icebergs and refused to look at Puck.

"Jason, I don't care what you think I should do. I don't care what he has to say. I believe he said all he wanted to yesterday. When you finish telling him that this is a _closed_ rehearsal, I'll be in my dressing room readying my voice for today." She stepped completely around Jason, avoiding any and all possible contact with Puck, and quickly made her way up the steps to the stage. She kept the smile on her face fixed as she passed by chorus members, cast, and crew until she was safe inside her dressing room.

She sank into the small couch against the wall and buried her face in her hands. She wouldn't cry. She _would_ _not_ cry. Enough tears had been shed over that man and she was done.

"Rachel, I'm coming in." Oh why did God hate her! It appeared that he had more pain and humiliation to dish out that he hadn't had the time for the day prior.

"Go away you asshole," she screamed at the door. That's when she remembered that she hadn't locked it. Shit, shit, _mother of all hell_ shit! She stood to lock the door but then it opened. The next thing she knew, she was standing face to face with the man who'd cut her more deeply than she first realized, and seeing him so close only seemed to twist the salted knife in the wound. He stood there, silent for a moment, and then inhaled sharply to speak. Before any words left his lips, her hand rose of its own accord and struck his cheek with such force, he was knocked off kilter and swayed back against the door.

"Holy shit, what _is_ it with chicks and the fucking _hitting_?" He moved his jaw back and forth and rubbed his chin.

"Are you deaf as well, or just heartless and cruel? I said go away." He stood straight again and stepped closer to her. She stepped back, recoiling at his proximity. She knew she was only moments from breaking again and she didn't want him to have the satisfaction of seeing that happen. He, of course, completely ignored her demand that he leave.

"I will, I promise. Just let me get this out." Rachel shook her head, his words on the sidewalk still too fresh in her mind. What else could he possibly have left to say?

"What part of 'go away' do you fail to comprehend?" She knew he wasn't used to the acidic tone in her voice. He visibly shrunk just a little and she saw it as her opportunity to say what she'd wanted to since her hurt had turned to anger. "You're the one who so abruptly decided that we should see other people. You're the one who suddenly decided that he had a problem with my profession. You're the one who decided that we don't fit together. You decided that you don't need this _shit_, which apparently is what the last month of your life has been with me. I trusted you! I cared about you. I really thought that I could fall in l…I trusted you. And you, you made me feel completely worthless, like I meant nothing at all. And for what, because you saw me doing my _job_? So I suppose seeing girls fawning over you all the damn time is just fine as long as you're serving them drinks, because that's your _job,_ isn't it? You saw me kissing a man as part of a role that I have been dying to play since I was a little girl. A man that happens to be a fantastic actor and, by the way, more _homosexual_ than my _fathers_ but you didn't care to find that out, did you? You just automatically assumed that there was something going on and you had a bitch fit because it looked too real? God forbid _acting_ look real!" She paused to take a breath and briefly thought that all her screaming couldn't possibly be good for her voice, but it felt so good to get it all out.

"Rach," he brought her back and she narrowed her gaze.

"I wasn't finished! And instead of talking to me about whatever asinine insecurities you suddenly developed, you break up with me? You give me some half-assed speech and leave me standing in the street! What the hell is wrong with you? That's ridiculous! Do you wanna know what makes this entire situation even worse? The fact that, more than anything, I want to hate you so much right now and I just can't. Because despite everything that has happened in the past twenty four hours, for some stupid reason, I still care very deeply for you." Rachel clamped her hand over her mouth. That last part wasn't supposed to come out. And she knew by the look in his eyes that he'd heard her. He swallowed hard and took a wary step closer, but only one step. He stuffed his hands in pockets and she couldn't help noticing the way the veins in his arm were so, veiny. Oh shit, he was turning her words off again.

"I'm sorry, for all of that." He paused for a second and figured that when she didn't start yelling at him again, she was gonna let him talk. "I just, I started thinking," Rachel made a cynical snort, "about the way people look at us when we go out places, you know. Like, you're fucking incredible and then they see me and it's like they feel sorry for you or something. I've read the shit online, about how you're slumming. It started to mess with my head. So yeah, I freaked out when I saw you kissing that guy. It looked like something out of those stupid chick-flicks. Like, they chase each other for the whole damn movie and then in the last two minutes before the credits start to roll, they have that kiss like it's really the last time they'll be touching each other or something. And yeah, before you say it, I realize that that's acting too but I've just never had to see it that close before. And none of the chicks in those movies are my girlfriend. So yeah, I freaked out and I overreacted." Rachel's eyes softened slightly but her arms remained crossed in front of her and she remained on the other side of the room.

"What did I do to make you feel so insecure?" Her voice wasn't angry anymore, and for that she was somewhat angry at herself. She felt like he was getting off the hook too easy, but she couldn't help it. He still had that quality that made her heart beat faster and slower at the same time. Puck's hands flew to his head and he ran his fingers through his short hair.

"Ugh, you didn't do anything! I was a total douche bag yesterday and I let all this other shit get to me because you're the first woman I've ever really let in. The first one I ever gave a fuck about. It scared the shit out of me that you'd figure out that I'm an asshole and dump my ass. I guess I thought I'd hurt you before you hurt me." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I already knew you were an asshole Noah. You'd just never been an asshole towards me. You could've talked to me like an adult instead of flying off the handle." She paused and walked over to him. "What do we do now?" Puck knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to rewind the past twenty four hours and do it all totally different.

"I dunno. I'm pretty sure I've never fucked up this bad before. I know I hurt you and I can't take that back, but I don't wanna stay broken up. We shouldn't have broke up in the first place." Rachel looked down at her shoes and released a dejected sigh.

"How am I supposed to trust you again Noah? When you did what you did, all my walls went right back up." With his hands still in his pockets, he shrugged his broad shoulders and met her gaze.

"You let me in once. I'll earn your trust again. I'll prove it to you. Just, let me make it up to you." Rachel looked into his eyes, wanting to just give in but at the same time wanting to protect herself from a repeat heartbreak.

"Let me think about it Noah." He nodded his head and turned to leave. When he reached out for the doorknob, he stopped short and turned back around. She recognized the look in his darkened eyes and knew exactly what he was about to do. She was powerless to stop it, not that she wanted to stop it. He grabbed her hips and pulled her flush against his body. When he pushed her against the door, sandwiching her between himself and the wood at her back, she gasped. As his lips crushed against hers, she felt the gentle way his hand cradled her head, the way his fingers stroked her side, like he was trying to sincerely apologize the best way he knew how. He pulled back just slightly to take a quick breath but she followed his mouth, taking his lips once more. She threaded her fingers through his hair and held him in place. When he pressed his pelvis into hers, she moaned out loud. She'd gone from believing that she'd never feel him pressing against her body again to being pushed into a wooden door by his hips. It was heady. He darted his tongue across her lips and hummed low in his throat.

"Think about _that_."

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Rachel had looked out into the audience during some of the breaks in rehearsal and didn't see Noah anywhere. He hadn't said anything about staying but, after a kiss like what he'd given her in her dressing room, she didn't expect him to go anywhere. She'd checked her phone at the end of rehearsal and got a little discouraged when there wasn't a missed call or text message from him. She thought about calling him, but that would make it too easy on him. She already felt as though she was being too easy on him but she couldn't find it in herself to shut him out completely. It would take time, and she honestly wanted things to get back to normal. The night before in her bed, alone, she'd just wanted to call him and clear everything up between them. She was still angry at him, but he wanted to make it better. Despite what she'd said, and against her better judgment, she still trusted him a little. His promise to prove himself once more still held value. She wanted him, still. Despite the way his words and actions had made her feel, she knew all too well the other feelings he could give her. There was always something lingering under the surface, some hidden meaning in his kisses and touches. That had to mean something.

When she walked out of the theatre, a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to find Noah inside, she gasped. There he was, standing just outside the doors, with one hand in his pocket and the other on the back of his neck. It really wasn't fair that he could look so undeniably gorgeous doing nothing at all. Her body responded immediately, as it had done in her dressing room, and she wanted to moan at the sight of him. She would forgive him, she knew she would. Because knowing that he expressed almost everything with his body, she knew there would be no staying mad at him for long. He was wearing torn jeans of course, and a plaid shirt over a wifebeater, but he just looked so amazing. Something about the way his whole 'lumberjack' look made him seem so approachable but then his face, with that haughty smirk and quirked eyebrow, made him look like some of the male models she'd seen Santana go through before Tina came along. But then that smirk turned into a smile and it actually warmed her.

"Hey," she greeted easily, "I thought you would have stayed for rehearsals." He stepped closer and nodded his head.

"I did, but I sat up in the balcony. Gotta be honest, I still thought that kiss looked really real." Rachel rolled her eyes because, of course, he would bring that up again. He stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "But I know that it's supposed to. You're an amazing actress and I'm sorry that I ever made you feel like shit because of that. This is all still new to me, relationship stuff, and I'll probably fuck up again but not this bad I promise. And I know that I've got a lot to make up for so I spent whatever time you weren't on stage trying to come up with ways to do that." She let him pull her closer and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What did you come up with?" He hummed a little and leaned his head down to hers. The tip of his tongue slid across her lips. He was so slow, it was tormenting her but she didn't even mind. The taste of him on her lips, she would take it in any form. Noah pulled back after a second but only millimeters. She could still feel his breath on her lips.

"Let me show you," he murmured. At that, her body melted against his. She just wanted to stand there kissing him. But at the same time, she wanted him to show her, something, anything, _everything_. She whispered a tiny 'okay' and then he was on her again. This kiss was softer than the one from her dressing room, but perfect all the same. He bit at her lips and she just needed him closer. Her arms tightened around his neck but he pulled away before she could actually deepen the kiss.

"Noah," her breath was shortened as she stared into his eyes. "Um, Noah, well," he chuckled softly and said,

"Yeah?" She rolled her eyes that his cockiness was never fully gone.

"You've got to stop doing that Noah." He pulled back further so he could get a better look at her. He cocked his head to the side and shot her a puzzled look.

"What'd I do?" After a few seconds, he added, "_Now_? What'd I do _now_?" She laughed at him, still being a little awkward about their whole situation, and smiled up at him.

"You've got to stop making my words turn to mush." The toothy grin that spread over his face made him look so happy. He pecked her lips once more and pressed his forehead against hers.

"I'll make 'em all disappear if you'll let me." She could only nod her head. Then, in the moment messer-upper of all moment messer-uppers, his phone started to ring. Rachel could almost laugh at the murderous look on his face as he groaned in frustration. She motioned for him to go ahead and answer his phone with a smile on her face. He took one hand off her hips and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Mike, dude this is a really bad time."

"Good! I hope you have a lifetime of bad times! You deserve it. You suck dude!" Puck pulled his phone away from his ear and looked at the number on the screen. Yeah, it was Mike. But what the fuck was his problem?

"What the hell man? What's your problem," he yelled right back at his phone.

"You broke up with Rachel! She's pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to you and you broke up with her! Over what? Because she's a kickass actress? You're a douche dude. I can't believe you." Puck groaned and looked at Rachel, standing there with a worried look on her face.

"First of all, how'd you even find out about that? And second, nice to know where your loyalties lie dude." He heard Mike scoff at him on the other end.

"Santana told T, T told me. And yeah, when you're _that_ much of an asshole, my loyalty is nowhere near you man. Why would you go and mess that up?" Puck scratched the back of his head and looked at Rachel again. He held the phone out to her and she got even more confused.

"It's for you," he supplied simply. She took the phone and pressed it to her ear.

"Mike?" The phone was silent for a moment.

"Rachel? Are you with Puck? But I thought you guys broke up. What's going on?" Rachel had to laugh a little and smiled at Noah as she replied to the dancer on the line.

"I'm letting him make it up to me." Again, she was met with silence and thought that he might have hung up or something.

"Oh, _oh_," he paused as it sank in but then she heard him mutter, "oh shit he's gonna kill us." She looked up at Noah and he didn't really seem _that_ angry over the phone call but she couldn't think of any other reason for him saying that. "Uh Rach, I gotta go. Happy for you guys though. Tell Puck I said bye." And with that, the phone clicked off. Her eyes met Noah's as she handed his phone to him.

"I'm not exactly certain what just happened." Puck laughed and turned the phone totally off before putting it back in his pocket.

"That was our friends sticking their noses in our business. I actually got a visit from San last night, or this morning I guess. It was like two or something." Rachel gasped and he elaborated. "She came by to remind me of what a massive fuck up I am and to beat the shit out of me. Seriously, did you two take pole-dancing _and_ kickboxing when you moved here? 'Cuz you don't hit like girls." Rachel started laughing as he continued. "Apparently she told her trout mouth girlfriend who just had to keep the gossip in the family and tell Mike. So, now everybody knows." Rachel bit her lip and couldn't help grinning up at him. "Can we just go back to my place?"

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When they walked into the apartment, Puck took her bag from her shoulder and set it down beside the couch. He was pretty positive that jumping on her as soon as the door shut was a bad idea, mainly because this wasn't their usual make-up sex. This was 'I think this relationship could actually go somewhere if I stop screwing shit up so let me show you that I actually want it to go somewhere' kind of make-up sex.

Rachel was wearing a blue jacket over her red sports bra and black dancer's pants. She'd put her hair up in a ponytail on the way over from the theatre and she didn't have any make-up on. So. Damn. Beautiful. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket and stood there in the middle of the living room looking back at him. He walked back over to her slowly until he was staring down at her, eyes, lips, nose, the embodiment of feminine perfection (where the hell did _that_ come from?) and he smiled. He tugged on the zipper of the jacket and slid it down her shoulders. She breathed in and out quickly. When he dropped to his knees in front of her, she gasped quietly. He trailed his lips across her stomach and just above the waistband of her pants. Puck's hands grasped at her waist as he tried to tug the fabric over her hips. He jerked for a second and she giggled because he couldn't get her pants off. Rachel took his hands in hers and removed them from her body. He watched her untie the tight drawstring with a smirk and she laughed a little when his hands went right back to pulling her pants down her long toned legs. He chuckled as he helped her step out of them. Puck looked up and met her eyes as he took his shirt off. Her eyes dilated just a little more and he smirked. His hands moved back up her legs and firmly grabbed the cheeks of her buttocks, pulling her closer. With his hands on her backside, he yanked her panties down quickly and threw her leg over his shoulder. He wasted no time and dove right in. It'd been a good (or not so good) forty-eight hours since he'd had her body and he really didn't feel like waiting anymore.

She could feel his tongue lashing out against her clit and hissed through her teeth as her body started to tremble with the beginnings of an orgasm. His fingers were digging in to her ass but it just mixed into the other sensations he was causing. Rachel tried to look down but at the exact moment she moved her head, Noah's lips pressed hard against her clit making her throw her head back with a moan. Her lips repeated his name until she was out of air, and then he ran his tongue along her lips which left her with little opportunity to breathe. It didn't register that he'd moved his hand until his fingers were curling inside her in time with the fluttering motion of his tongue. She sucked in a breath and held it, feeling that release so close. Closing her eyes, she trailed her hand down her body to where his head met her center. Her hand clamped on the back of his head, urging his tongue and fingers closer, deeper. Once more, he curled those calloused fingers inside her and she screamed his name until her voice went hoarse.

Her legs went limp as he stood back up in front of her with a grin. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his smirking lips down to hers. Thrusting her still dripping sex towards the straining tent in his unbuttoned jeans, she groaned at the delicious friction. Even though she'd just had a body-numbing orgasm at his hands, tongue, and lips, she could feel another on its way. So when he pulled her towards the couch and dipped her over the arm closest to them, she instantly swayed her back in invitation. Rachel heard his jeans drop to the floor behind her and bit her lip in anticipation. She felt his fingers dip into the small of her back, deepened by the way she'd arched her body, and he moved closer to her. Noah's very prominent erection rubbed against her and she instinctively pushed against his body. When he entered her, it was very quick. He stayed very still for a second, and she thought she heard him mumbling something along the lines of 'keep your shit together Puckerman', but she couldn't take it anymore. She had to move, it felt too good not to move. Rachel stood up on her toes, feeling the tops of his thigh muscles brush against the back of hers, and moaned out loud when the tip of his penis hit her G-spot. He got the point and slid out, waiting until he heard her breathe in before plunging mercilessly back into her body. She made this noise that was somewhere between an airy moan and a giggle, and somehow it made him even more rigid inside her. In mere seconds, she was backing up against him to urge him deeper, never able to get enough even though he was pushing to the hilt each time their bodies met. He hit every spot there was to hit and she still found that she needed more. Suddenly, he leaned over her right as he thrust and she gasped into the couch cushion. There it was, that extra impossibility she'd been looking for. It wasn't until his hands slid up her sides to gently cup her breasts that she realized it. The 'more' she needed was just him. It wasn't just his body she craved, it was him. Always had been. As his lips pressed a kiss to her shoulder and she flew into blinding ecstasy, she knew it wasn't a case of 'falling for him' anymore. Terminal velocity was hit and she'd just crashed.

He pistoned his hips two more times before he came in a rush that had him breathing funny. When Rachel turned her head and met his eyes, he smiled and kissed her lips. After a few light kisses, she nudged him off of her shoulder and he stood up behind her again. Puck pulled her up and turned her around so she was facing him. Rachel was still wearing her bra but he didn't really mind. One last thing he could peel off the second they made it to the bedroom, if they made it to the bedroom. Honestly, his legs were feeling a little wobbly after that. He kissed her neck in _that_ spot just to hear her mewl and grip his arms for support because, yeah she was a little wobbly too damn it! His voice was still a little gruff as he whispered in her ear, "I think we should move this to the bedroom before we both end up with rug-burn." Rachel slapped his chest and laughed up at him. But when she spoke, his mouth went dry.

"I think you should get us some water or something because you'll be losing a lot more bodily fluids tonight if I have my way. And I think you know, I generally get what I want." At that, Puck pulled her flush against his body and kissed her deeply until they were both completely out of breath. When he moved just slightly, she remembered that he was completely naked. She openly admired the view as he stepped back and licked her lips at the thought of what she wanted to do when she got him on the bed. He went to the kitchen to get their waters so she ran down the hall to his bedroom.

Puck downed one bottle of water in record time while standing in front of his fridge and then a second as he was walking back into the living room. When he didn't see her anywhere, he figured she'd gone to the bedroom so he returned to the kitchen for another couple bottles of water and then took off in search for her. He opened his bedroom door to be greeted with the sight of Rachel lying on his bed. She was on her stomach with her feet swaying in the air. But what really caught his attention was the pair of 'bracelets' dangling from her finger.

"Noah, where did you get these?" The handcuffs in her hands had been a gift of sorts from a bachelor party he'd gone to when one of the guys at the club had gotten married a few months back. The stripper's alias had been 'slutty cop' and he went home with more than a lap dance that night. Since he and Rachel were on the mend, he wasn't really sure how much of that story to divulge. But then Rachel said, "I don't really care. The real question is, why haven't I seen them before?" He felt his eyes bug out of his head and he choked a little. Did she really just say that?

"You want me to handcuff you?" God, he felt like the luckiest guy on the face of the planet. But then she started shaking her head and rose up on her knees. That bra, he didn't even miss not getting to peel it off.

"That's not _exactly_ what I had in mind Noah." Her eyebrow rose and she crooked her finger at him. And somehow, in that moment, she got impossibly even more irresistible. He started walking towards the bed and smirked at the way he could see her breath hitch.

"How did you find those anyway? I was pretty sure I lost'em." Rachel laughed as he crawled across the blanket to kneel in front of her.

"Well, you've stolen quite a few of my favorite undergarments from Frederick's of Hollywood and Victoria's Secret. I was thinking you'd have a stash by now. I was looking through your drawers to see if I could find any of them and imagine my surprise when I happened across these instead." Puck laughed and glanced toward the bottom drawer of his bureau, where he actually did keep all the underwear he'd stolen from her (fuck that, she gave him half of those scraps of lace just to tempt him) and then looked back at her.

"You were a drawer off babe." She smiled all big and happy like she'd expected for him to throw them out or something after their little episode the day before. (Fuck that too, he still had the _Beauty & the Beast_ playbill he'd dug out of all his music stuff and forced her to autograph, of course after making her write 'To the man who can make me cum just by thinking his name' as a _joke_.) "So, what _exactly_ did you have in mind?"

The second Rachel had found the handcuffs, the little plan had formed in her mind. Having sex with Noah was actually one of the most thrilling experiences she'd ever had. In the month they'd been officially together, not counting the twenty-four hours where they'd jumped track, she'd never once felt unsatisfied with him. He was a sex god, that was an undeniable fact. He never said 'no' to whatever she wanted to try. But one thing she'd never asked about, because it actually never came up in her mind, was any form of tying up or being tied up. But when she saw the silver of those cuffs, the idea wouldn't leave her alone.

"Well Noah," she trailed her fingers down his arm, stopping at his wrist, "would you be up for it?" Rachel was fairly certain that he'd never go for it, but it couldn't hurt to try. But then he laid down and put his hands over his head, up close to the spindles on his headboard, and she couldn't help smiling. He motioned to his rigid dick still standing at attention and smirked.

"Babe, pretty sure I'm up for anything with you." Rachel straddled his midsection and leaned over so that she could cuff his wrists to the headboard. Puck, of course, used the opportunity to dart his tongue around her nipple and made her moan. "Hope you found the keys for those too. Not sure I can teach you how to pick a lock if you're riding me so hard your eyes roll back in your head." She rose up with an arched eyebrow and clicked her tongue at him. She lifted her hips and slid down his torso so that she was perfectly positioned above him and then leaned down to whisper in his ear,

"Who says I don't know how to pick a lock?" She used his startled expression to her advantage and quickly lowered her body over his. _He_ gasped as she did so and twisted his wrists in the cuffs, as though he were regretting his decision to be put in them in the first place. Rachel grinned down at him and rolled her hips, successfully turning that gasp into a moaned profanity that was honey to her ears. Her hands flattened on his chest for leverage and she rose up slowly. He shifted his hips beneath her, attempting to close the space she'd put between their bodies.

"Damn it Rachel," he said through gritted teeth. Very easily, she lowered herself back down onto him. She arched her back and ran her hand over her breast. Her eyes closed and she could practically hear Noah licking his lips. "Baby come on." The tiny hint of desperation in his voice was maddening. She started to move her hips in small circular motions, breathing rhythmically in time with him. "Touch yourself," he demanded softly, and she opened her eyes. His gaze leveled with hers as he watched her fingers leisurely drift down her body. As Rachel rocked her body faster, she pressed her fingers around her clit but never directly against it. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his, scraping her teeth against his bottom lip and tugging very lightly. Noah thrust his hips upward and went just a little deeper. Rachel hadn't been expecting that at all and instantly arched her back.

"Oh, my god. Ah, Noah that's, oh god," her breaths shortened and her body sped up. He did it again, receiving the same reaction, and grunted softly.

"Yeah baby, take it." She did, and wondered how on earth he could have any semblance of control while he was handcuffed to the bed and she was on top. It didn't make any sense at all. But she didn't care. Rachel kept circling her body and he kept thrusting his hips as much as his captivity would allow. She grasped at his shoulders and slammed down on him twice before she screamed out his name for the whole planet to hear. She fell over on his chest after feeling him swell inside her. She was still contracting around his length when he said, "Let me out of these fucking things already. I need to touch you." Rachel giggled and reached over to the bedside table where she'd left the keys to the handcuffs. Before she had the chance to release both of his wrists, he'd flipped them over and pressed her into the bed. His lips were rough on hers and she moaned as he started thrusting again. He was still hard! They'd had small marathons in the bedroom before, but never without a rest period. This was nothing short of incredible! His hands were everywhere at once, on her clit, on her hips, on her breasts. He was so close and yet not close enough.

"Yes, oh god yes, Noah yes," she moaned, or screamed? She really wasn't sure at that point. Everything started blurring together as he continued to hammer ruthlessly into her body, driving her to her fourth orgasm of the night.

Rachel lost count after that. Two hours later, as she reclined against his chest in the soothing and soapy warm waters of the bathtub, she couldn't recall single orgasms, only blaring waves of ecstasy. Noah's hands slid up and down her body, caressing her breasts and massaging her skin. She laid her head back on his shoulder and smiled lazily. He lightly touched his mouth to her cheek which made her hum happily. She felt his hands slipping down her stomach but she placed her palms over his to stop him. "Noah, again," she requested. His responding smirk was so sinful, but heavenly at the same time. She turned around in the tub slowly, so she didn't slosh any water out, and smiled as he pulled her legs over his. His hands gripped her hips firmly and he entered her effortlessly. He rocked gently into her, keeping their bodies close as the water splashed softly around them. Rachel released a faint moan and leaned up to get closer. As she ran her tongue over the shell of his ear and sucked on the lobe, he snuck his hand between their bodies and fingered her tiny bud of nerves. In the warm water, it seemed even more sensitive. With his other hand, he tenderly cupped her cheek, kissing her deep and sweet. Rachel felt the kiss take over all her senses. It was hard to think straight. Something in his touch, an urgency and genuine sensitivity she could feel it in her bones. That touch is what sent her over once more. What number was that again? Oh who the fuck cares.

"So," Puck whispered in her ear when after they were both under the covers of his bed. They'd just barely made it there however. The hallway had provided a nice segue from the bathroom to the bedroom, and throwing her leg over his shoulder while he had her pressed against the wall next to his bedroom door was a nice seg—whatever the hell that means. Either way, he'd lost count of how many times he'd come that night, how many times _she'd_ come that night. Rachel looked over at him from where she was tucked into his side and smiled.

"So, what," she prompted him.

"Am I forgiven?" She smiled all coy and pretended to think about it. Puck started poking her sides, prodding her for an answer and laughing at her out of breath giggling. He rolled over on top of her and continued tickling her sides. "Huh? Yes or no Rach? Gotta give me an answer. Stop laughing so much and answer me!" She continued to wriggle and squirm beneath him and tried to answer but the giggling prevented that. Finally, she slapped at his chest, catching him off guard and knocking him back on the bed.

"Yes! I forgive you Noah." He grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her over so that she was lying on his chest.

"Good, you wanna sleep now? Or go for round nine hundred and four?" Rachel laughed and pressed her lips to his jaw.

"How about nine hundred and four in the morning? My brain stopped functioning the first time in the hallway." He chuckled and held her tighter, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead with a smile on his face.

"No problem babe. Tonight was fucking incredible. You're amazing Rach. I'm really sorry about yesterday." She patted his chest with her hand.

"I know that Noah. But thank you for repeating it." She smiled and he could've sworn that she looked like she wanted to say something else, but he didn't push it. He really cared about her and he didn't want to do anything to mess that up.

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"Noah, wake up," Rachel whispered harshly. "Wake up now, I heard something." The worried tone in her hushed voice startled Puck out of the bed. "I heard something moving around in the living room." She looked genuinely terrified which made him rush just a little bit as he pulled some boxers on. He put his fingers to her lips to quiet her and grabbed the baseball bat out from under the bed. He motioned for her to stay put and slowly opened the bedroom door. It was then that he heard a shuffling noise coming from the living room, like someone walking around but trying and failing to be quiet about it. Puck immediately thought of his three guitars and keyboard, all of his music, original compositions he'd had since college, some stuff he written recently because the muse suddenly reappeared (right around a month ago), all the shit he'd really hate to have stolen basically, in the corner of the living room beside the TV.

With his bat ready to swing, he slowly stepped out into the hallway. When he made it to the living room and flipped the light switch, he could honestly say he would've preferred a burglar. You're allowed to hit those.

"Ma! What the fuck are you doing here?"

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**a/n2: please go read my first a/n. I don't think anybody ever actually does and I'd love to be proven wrong…**


	12. Chapter 12

**a/n: I must apologize for the length of time it's taken for me to get this out. I'm a slave to my muse and she's very difficult most times. I also apologize for the length of this chapter. So much I wanted to have happen in this chapter and it got wordy. Sorry! Hope you still enjoy it. Special thanks goes out to foreverGleek20, missidaaa, and GoingVintage for providing support on this chapter. You lovely ladies will never know much you mean to me! The response to this story never fails to amaze me. I love all my readers, I hope you know that. I broke out the yiddish for this one but not too much. If you have trouble with any words, just tell me and I'll clear up any problems. Here's Mama P! Please read and review and, as always, enjoy! I don't own Glee.**

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Puck stood just in front of the entrance to the short hallway that lead right back to Rachel. He wanted to turn right around and run back to her now. He stared, slack-jawed, at his mother (of all fucking people!) standing in his fucking apartment!

Dianna Puckerman, Crazy Jew Mother in the flesh, was standing in the middle of his _living room_! She kinda looked like she was tired, like she hadn't slept all night long or something.

"Noah Puckerman, that is no way to talk to your mother young man! Especially when I'm here to prevent you from making the biggest mistake of my, I mean, _your_ life." Puck dropped the bat to his side and furrowed his brow. He could only think of one mistake that he'd made in the past twenty four hours that could be considered 'big' and he'd spent the better part of the last few hours fixing that mistake, _very thoroughly_. And besides, as far as he knew, his mom didn't even know about his relationship with Rachel.

Right as he was about to repeat his earlier question, some movement in the doorway caught his attention. Which also brought his attention to the fact that his door was standing wide open. "Seriously ma, you can't just leave the door open. You're not in Ohio woman. This is New York, and when you leave the door wide-ass open, shit gets stolen. _My_ shit gets stolen." He walked towards the door and right when his hand wrapped around the doorknob, a person stepped out from the darkened hallway.

"Hey dumbass!" Puck's eyes widened even more as he watched Rebecca, his eighteen year old little sister step into his apartment. She looked at him for a second and then opened her arms. "Do I at least get a hug? I mean, I know you're being a moron and all lately but still. I _am_ your sister." She slanted a smile, something he'd taught her when she started middle school, and stepped closer to him for her hug. For just a second, he forgot all about the initial shock he'd felt moments before and just hugged his baby sister. But then, he opened his eyes and saw Rachel's pants lying on the floor by the couch. He immediately took a step back from Rebecca and looked from her to his mother.

"Uh, what are you guys doing here in the middle of the night?" In the middle of the living room, Dianna stomped her foot against the floor.

"Your sister and I are here in the middle of the night because Mike and Tina called me yesterday to inform me that you broke up with that wonderful girlfriend of yours because apparently, my son is a complete and utter, well I won't say the word he used but we'll just go with schmuck." Rebecca leaned over and stage-whispered, with a giggle in her voice,

"He called you a fucktard douche bag that needed to be castrated. Ma got two red-eye tickets to New York within about five minutes of hanging up the phone. She's pretty adept at the internet now dude. I'm just here to make sure she doesn't completely kill you." Puck shook his head, trying to wrap his brain around what the two women were saying. They _knew_ about Rachel? _Before_ he'd fucked up? And did she just say that Mike and Tina called? Oh they were both dead.

"Hold up, how do you two know about Rachel?" Rachel, who was still in the bedroom, probably listening to every fucking word of this sordid conversation, shit. Dianna scoffed and sat down on the couch.

"Honey, I have my ways. Besides, as your sister said, I've become quite adept at the internet lately so I've used my newfound knowledge to keep tabs on you. What I would like to know, before you tell me how you managed to ruin a perfectly good relationship with a beautiful talented _Jewish_ girl, is why I have to use such underhanded methods to find out about said relationship in the first place? This is ridiculous Noah." Puck scratched his head and looked over at his sister, who looked like she was about to blow up in a fit of giggles, then back to his mother.

"You wanna know why I never told you about her? You called the first girl I ever liked 'Hitler's Mistress', that's why!" Dianna waved her hand dismissively in the air and rolled her eyes. A giggle escaped Rebecca's lips as she started perusing through his music on the shelf in the corner.

"Feh! You were five years old and that little tramp was asking for it. I think it's time to let that go. Anyway, you can't blame this on me. You went and messed this up all on your own, and before I even got the chance to meet her! I'm appalled that you would be so inconsiderate of my feelings on this matter. You finally start acting like a mature adult, become monogamous with a wonderful girl, and then you just rip her out of my life before I have any say in the matter. So I'm here to help you win her back. Now sit your tukhus down and tell me exactly how much damage has been done so I can come up with an acceptable plan of action." Puck wasn't about to tell his mother that apparently fucking each others' brains out for hours on end was _plenty_ acceptable. Instead, he bent down and picked Rachel's pants and his shirt up off the floor and walked back down the hallway, leaving his mother in the living room muttering something about how much of a yutz he was being.

He opened the bedroom door and looked inside to see Rachel clutching at her naked sides and literally rolling with laughter. She'd heard everything. She looked up to see him standing there in the doorway and smiled at him. He rolled his eyes and tossed the clothes at her. She understood completely and immediately started shaking her head.

"Noah, I cannot possibly meet your mother wearing clothes that we ripped off each other mere hours ago." Puck walked farther into the room and lowered a glare on the petite woman in his bed, still giggling at him.

"You can, and you will. Last thing I need is my fucking mother trying to fix shit in my life that doesn't need fixing. We're fine now, aren't we?" Rachel laughed at him but stood up from the bed and slipped his shirt over her head. As she stepped into her pants from the day before, technically still the same day just the middle of the night but what the hell ever, she made a face. He guessed because she was being forced to wear clothes that weren't exactly clean. She tied the drawstrings and placed her hand on her hips.

"Yes, we're fine Noah. You know that. But I can't believe I'm about to meet my boyfriend's mother with _sex_ hair." He laughed as she combed her hands through her hair and straightened his too large shirt on her tiny shoulders.

"Hey, I met your dads with my tongue down your throat. I think this'll make us even." Rachel slapped him square in the chest and laughed when he wheezed a little.

"Do I look okay?" Puck was pretty sure he'd never heard a more dumbass question in his life. He rolled his eyes and pulled her to his body, easily slipping one hand into her hair and the other around to rest comfortably on her ass.

"Fuckin' gorgeous babe." He quickly pressed his lips against hers and kissed her like he wouldn't get to for a while. And while his mom and sister were here, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be getting even half of the action he wanted. He slipped his hand around her backside and into her palm, twining his fingers with hers. "Let's get this over with." Rachel nodded her head and followed him into the living room. "Ma, Becca, this is Rachel."

Rachel's gaze landed on the middle-aged woman sitting on Noah's couch, and then to the girl who appeared to be in her late teens. Both women were absolutely beautiful. It was easy to see that good looks and perfect bone structure were as common as legs and arms in the Puckerman gene pool. Noah had told her about his father leaving them when he was younger, but standing and looking at the woman before her, she just couldn't imagine anyone leaving her. It seemed preposterous. She lightly shook her head and smiled at the women, deciding that she couldn't dwell on the fact that she was wearing Noah's plaid shirt and her pants from the day before. She was determined to make the best of this meeting.

"Ms. Puckerman, Rebecca, it's very nice to meet the two of you. I'm Rachel Berry." Rachel stepped forward and held her hand out to the woman. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rebecca in the corner. The girl's mouth was open a little, as was Dianna's. Rebecca was the first to speak.

"Wait a second! Mike said that Noah fucked up big time and broke up with you. Are you back together now?" Rachel smiled at the memory of earlier in the night and nodded her head.

"We, fixed things earlier so yes, we are back together." Rebecca threw her arms up in the air and replied,

"Perfect! Can I can get an autograph?" Rachel laughed and nodded her head.

"Becca!" Puck barked, but it didn't faze the girl at all. He rubbed his hand over his face, as he contemplated ways to kill Mike and Tina without getting caught, and looked back to his mother. "See Ma, I didn't completely ruin your life. You can go back home now." Dianna looked at her son, still somewhat awestruck that the woman she'd seen in pictures with her son for the past month was actually standing in front of her. She stumbled on her words a little.

"I don't, I don't understand. I took off a week from work. I'd expected you to, well I'm not exactly sure what I expected but I certainly didn't expect you to fix it yourself." Rachel turned her head just in time to see Noah roll his eyes. She felt his arm tighten around her shoulders as he replied to his mother,

"Yeah, I can do shit now. Got my big boy britches and everything woman." Dianna promptly looked pissed.

"Don't take that tone with me young man. I do everything out of love, you know that. Now explain to me just why I have to look up photos of you on the internet to keep tabs on you anymore. You don't know how to pick up a phone? I know your business is very successful right now but I would think you could spare a few minutes out of the day to let your _mother_ know that you're still alive! It's all I can do not to imagine you lying in a gutter somewhere Noah. And why on earth would you keep this from me?" She motioned to Rachel for emphasis and continued. "I mean, look at her Noah. Such a beautiful talented woman you've got in your life, you were lovely in _Beauty & the Beast_ dear, and you keep her from me? Are you ashamed of her?" Puck's nostrils flared at his mother.

"The fuck Ma! No, I'm not ashamed of her. Crazy woman, I didn't need you finding out about Rachel and two seconds later having the closest Temple booked for spring." Dianna looked mildly ashamed but then stood firm. Rachel was actually trying to hold back a smile at the banter going on between mother and son. By the look on Rebecca's face, this type of exchange was a regular thing between the two of them.

"I did that _once_ when you were college Noah. And besides, I've known about Rachel the entire time you two have been together and I can guarantee you that there are no Puckerman-Berry listings at any of the Temples nearby." Rebecca scoffed, still in the corner, and piped up.

"To be fair Ma, you did start looking at invitation patterns. I stopped her before she got to the big book of synagogues she keeps on the bookshelf." Puck shot his mother a look that clearly said 'I told you so' but Dianna just shook her head.

"Becca you hush now. I waited, very patiently, for two months. Ever since the first pictures of the two of you started popping up, I waited for you to call and tell me all about your wonderful girlfriend. And then, when I finally get a phone call, it's not from you and it's not good news. When Mike called to inform me that you'd broken up with Rachel, I thought I was going to have a heart attack." Apparently, she'd used that excuse before because Noah remained unfazed.

"So, what? You just decide to up everything to New York City to come fix my problems? You forgot to pick up a phone too? I don't get any warning now or anything?" Rachel watched as Noah turned his accusing eyes to his little sister across the room. "And you, we had a deal. You're supposed to tell me when she ups the crazy to eleven. What happened?" Rebecca raised her hands in surrender and shook her head.

"Hey man, I did warn you. I called when she bought tickets, I texted when we were at the airport, and then I called again when we landed. Check your phone. I'm still the good little sister, and that means I still expect a birthday present in two months." Puck looked around, not really remembering where he'd left his phone a few hours ago. But then, he spotted the small black corner of it peeking out from under the couch. It must have fallen out of his shirt pocket when he'd picked it up to give to Rachel. He bent over to pick it up, turning it back on in the process, and laughed as he caught Rachel's eye.

"Guess I didn't wanna risk any interruptions killing the mood." Rachel promptly turned about eight different shades of red and buried her face in her hands. He looked over at Dianna and Rebecca, both women were rolling their eyes. "Whatever. Ma, you two got somewhere to stay for tonight or you gonna crash here?" Dianna seemed to snap out of her 'my son is a moron' daze and turned back to Puck.

"Well, I hadn't exactly thought that far ahead. If it isn't too much trouble," Puck shook his head and walked around the couch to his mother.

"No problem Ma, just give me a second to change the sheets and stuff and you guys can take my room. Me and Rach can take the couch for tonight." Rebecca stepped over and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a big kiss on his cheek.

"I knew you still loved us!" Puck made a big show out of wiping the kiss off of his cheek and then planted an equally obnoxious one on Rebecca's forehead. Rachel smiled at the exchange between the siblings. The emotion she'd realized and experienced earlier in the night came rushing back as Noah moved their belongings out of the doorway and further into the apartment. She'd of course known about his mother and sister beforehand, but seeing him in the role of son and brother was different. It seemed as though every light she saw him in only made him shine brighter in her eyes. When he walked back in her direction, he stopped beside her and grinned really wide. Before she knew it, he swept her up in a kiss that was certainly miles away from propriety when in the company of, well anyone, but she was putty in his arms. He squeezed her hip as he pulled away and disappeared down the hallway. That's when Rachel realized she was alone in the room, _he'd_ left her alone in the room, with his mother and sister! He was going to pay for that one!

She bit her lip sheepishly as she turned back around to meet two pairs of eyes staring at her knowingly. Dianna just smiled and looked down at the couch. "Oy, is this couch going to be big enough for the two of you sweetie? I hate to think we're putting you kids out." Before Rachel could respond, Rebecca laughed beside the woman and said,

"Chill out mom, I'm sure they're used to getting _really close_ by now." Rachel felt the blush creeping up again at the young girl's words and couldn't help remembering that Noah had once told her that he'd helped raise his sister. There was no denying that now. The evidence was crystal clear every time Rebecca opened her mouth. She laughed nervously but answered Dianna's question.

"Noah's couch is bigger than mine and we've slept on it before so I'm fairly certain that we'll be fine." Dianna looked up at her quickly and studied her for a moment.

"You're not, living together?" Rachel shook her head and looked around the apartment.

"No ma'am, I live in an apartment with my friend Santana. Noah and I have, um, sleepovers I suppose. It's just easier for me stay here because of her. Although, on the nights she's with Tina, Noah comes over and stays." She didn't have a clue where the sudden onslaught of word vomit came from and why she was discussing hers and Noah's sleeping situation with his mother of all people, but she decided to chalk it up to the 'crazy Jew powers' Noah always went on and on about. And then she thanked God that she had two fathers. Dianna didn't seemed fazed at all though and just made a humming noise, like she was a computer, collecting data and storing it for use at a later date.

"So hold up," Rebecca started, "you said Santana. Tina's girlfriend is your roommate?" Rachel grinned and nodded her head.

"We've been best friends since we were little girls. Tina and Santana actually met on the same night that I met Noah." Rachel was a little unnerved by how quiet Dianna was being. She'd expected a rousing game of 20 questions as soon as Noah had gotten out of earshot but she'd made it to two so far and quit.

"That's cool. You know, you're kind of a big deal. How'd you end up with my brother?" The memory of that first night in the club was still vividly ingrained in Rachel's mind. She could still feel his chest muscles pressing against her back whenever she thought of it. It was funny. She'd gone to that club to celebrate one thing, and she'd been given an entirely different reason to celebrate.

"He asked me to dance. I ended up leaving my purse at the bar that night on accident and Noah returned it to me the next day. He asked me to come back to the club that night and I did. That's when I met Tina and Mike. The three of them invited Santana and I to breakfast that morning after the club closed and we've all been one big group since then. I asked Noah to accompany me to a cast party a couple nights after that and I suppose that's where this whole thing started with us." At that, Rebecca started laughing and Rachel knew, because it's exactly something Noah would say, what she was going to say next.

"You gave it up pretty slow compared to the other chicks he's gone after in the past." That earned the teen a scolding look from Dianna and a slap on her arm.

"Young lady, that is none of your business," Dianna chided. Rebecca just shrugged and replied,

"You were thinking it too Ma, don't deny it." When the older woman didn't deny it, Rebecca seemed quite pleased with herself.

"Nevertheless, it doesn't concern you." Rolling her eyes at her mother, Rebecca crossed her arms.

"Never stopped _you_ before," she muttered before turning her attention back to Rachel. "So anyway, I was serious before. Can I have your autograph?"

When Puck walked back into the living room after changing all of the bedding on his bed, (come on, that would've been way weird!) he saw Rachel writing in some notebook with Becca looking like she was about to burst from happiness and his mom just looked like she'd just seen Moses incarnate rain down from heaven. It took him just a second to figure out that Rachel was signing something for his sister. For some reason, that made him smile. When he cleared his throat and announced that the bedroom was okay for them to sleep in now, Rebecca made her way down the hall. Dianna stopped in front of him and smiled this freaky little smile like she knew a secret and wasn't gonna tell anybody.

"We'll talk more in the morning," she whispered and then sauntered down the hall after her daughter. He shook his head and turned back to Rachel. He walked back over to her and grinned.

"Well, this is not how I pictured this night going." He leaned in to kiss her but she backed away.

"Noah, I should leave," Rachel stated matter-of-factly. He shot her the same 'you've lost your fucking mind' look he'd flashed his mother earlier but she continued. "You can't expect me to sleep with you while your mother and sister are here," she bit out in a hushed tone. Puck just rolled his eyes and hooked his arm around her waist to pull her back.

"There's no way in hell you're leaving at whatever the fuck time it is right now. What's the big deal anyway? My mom thought we were living together. I don't think you sleeping with me on the damn couch is gonna alter her opinion of you." Rachel's eyes softened slightly, but not enough that she was going to give in. He leaned in and trailed the very tip of his tongue up her neck, smiling when she shivered. "Just stay the night Rach," he whispered seductively into her ear. He felt her body ease into his, become pliant, and he couldn't stop the grin on his face when she nodded her head.

He pulled her down on the couch with him and turned her so that she was facing out with her back to his chest. Puck wrapped one arm around her midriff to secure her 'little spoon' to his 'big spoon'. Having her fall off the couch in the middle of the night would probably get him slapped by more than one woman currently in his home at the moment. Just to make sure she wasn't going anywhere, he swung his leg over hers, effectively caging her with his body. She giggled and turned her head to look back at him.

"Noah, are you trying to get back at me for handcuffing you earlier," the lithe question falling from her lips with a sexy smile. Puck hugged her tighter and grinned.

"Maybe I just don't wanna get smacked by my ma for letting you fall off the couch. But now that you mention it, I'm totally cuffing you next time babe." Rachel nodded her head and for a moment she completely forgot that his family was right down the hall. Using her hand on his face to pull him down, she placed a slow kiss against his mouth that had him gripping her body impossibly tighter with his. When they finally fell asleep, a happy sigh fell from both pairs of lips.

**

* * *

**

The quartet nervously stepped into the elevator in Puck's building. Well, two of them were nervous. Tina and Mike knew they were probably walking to their deaths. After finding out that Puck and Rachel were back together, both Asians tried calling Dianna Puckerman to attempt to call off the CJM ambush but neither of them could contact the woman. They were pretty positive that Dianna had already hijacked a plane to New York anyway so there was no doubt in their minds that she was in the city somewhere. Brittany and Santana had both heard the horror stories of what the woman was capable of so they basically came for moral support.

As the elevator inched upwards, agonizingly slow, to the fifth floor, Mike held onto Brittany's hand like he'd never see her again. They knew that the shit was about to hit the fan. Tina and Mike were the ones who had originally hinted around that Dianna should start checking up on Puck online, that perhaps there would be pictures she'd be interested in seeing. They always figured that Puck would tell his mom about Rachel anyway eventually so there wasn't really any guilt involved. That is, until Mike got pissed at his best friend for being a complete and total moron. You see, Mike is generally pretty level-headed until something happens that causes his impulses to take over. And when he heard about how broken Rachel had been over the way his best friend had left her in the fucking street, he'd been pissed. He really liked Rachel. She was fun to be around and an amazing person, but more than anything, he loved seeing the smile on Puck's face whenever she came up in conversation. He could see that Puck was totally head over ass for her so it didn't make any sense at all when Santana and Tina had told him about the incident. He knew of one person that could scare Puck into not being such a douche and that person was his mother. So he and Tina made the call that would seal their fates. They told on him.

Tina could feel the bile rise in her throat when the elevator stopped on Puck's floor. Her corset was suddenly too tight around her body and she gasped for a breath. Santana kept trailing her fingers up and down her lace-clad arm in a comforting maneuver but it wasn't as affective as it normally would have been. She wasn't really sure that Puck wouldn't kill them on sight just for telling his mother about Rachel in the first place, let alone telling her that he'd broken up with her. And she was pretty positive that he wouldn't care in the slightest that they'd tried to fix their mistake as soon as they found out that the happy couple was a happy couple once more. He would only care that they'd called his mother in the first place. They were as good as dead.

The four of them walked timidly to the apartment door and Tina knocked. They heard some groaning from inside and wondered what that could be. Surely he was awake. It was almost noon. Slowly the door opened to reveal Puck in his boxers and once he realized who was standing there, he promptly slammed the door in their faces. Mike sighed in relief. When you're expecting a fist to the face, a slamming door instead is a welcome change. He'd gotten a glimpse of Rachel sitting on the couch stretching her arms over her head. She was there, everything was okay, no sighting of Dianna. This was a good sign. So he raised his fist and banged on the door. When there was no answer, he tried the doorknob. Of course it was locked. Mike dug his keys out of his pocket and quickly found the one to Puck's apartment. When he unlocked the door and opened it, Puck was back over on the couch with Rachel. His face was eerily calm.

"Get out, now." Mike threw his hands up in the air and tried to explain.

"Dude I'm sorry but I just thought you were making a big mistake and we knew that if you let Rachel go for real, you'd never forgive yourself. Your mom is the only person we could think of that would be able to make you see straight." Tina stepped further into the room and added,

"You've done stupid things before but never this bad. We were honestly just trying to help you out. But when we heard that you two were back together, we tried calling Dianna to tell her it was a false alarm but it was too late." Both Puck and Rachel stood up and that's when Santana really took in her best friend's appearance and that of the room. The shirt she was wearing was obviously Puck's and her hair was a total mess. There were clothes, some underwear, jeans, a wifebeater, and shoes strewn haphazardly around the room. They hadn't even bothered waiting to get to the bedroom. Then she saw the blanket bunched up at Rachel's feet as though it had been thrown in the floor or something. Which begged the question, had they made it to the bedroom at all?

Just before Puck looked like he was about to go into a rant directed and Tina and Mike, Santana stepped forward. "Hold on a second. Why are you two in here? It looks like you slept on the couch." Rachel laughed a little and bit her lip to stop herself. Puck released a tense breath and met Santana's questioning gaze.

"We slept on the couch because my mother and sister showed up at my door at god knows what hour this morning. She kept yelling about how I'd ruined her life by breaking up with my _Jewish girlfriend_ before she had a chance to meet her. Now you can imagine my surprise that my mother even knew about my girlfriend in the first place since I never said a fucking word! But apparently I need to start choosing my friends more carefully from now on since you two traitors have made me doubt the choices I made when I was in fucking preschool! What the hell is wrong with you guys!" Mike inched backwards and, with a shaky voice, replied,

"Hey man, it's not that bad." Puck's eyebrows rose so high that they disappeared into his hairline and he stepped towards the group still gathered in the doorway.

"Not that bad? _Not that bad!_ My fucking mother is here in my apartment because _you_ told on me! You couldn't keep your own stupid nose in your own stupid business and you told on me! You ratted me out, like a snitch! I can't believe that my best friends would do that!" Before Mike and Tina could respond, a voice was heard from the hallway.

"Noah stop being so dramatic. Mike and Tina were genuinely concerned for you when they called me. And I'm thankful for it. Who knows how long you would've hidden Rachel from me had they not cared so much about you." Everyone turned around to see Dianna Puckerman walking towards them from the kitchen with two cups of coffee in her hands. Puck took the cups from her and handed one to Rachel, who had a slight blush on her cheeks. She'd never heard the woman get up, let alone start rummaging around in the kitchen. How did she do that? Both Tina and Mike looked at each other and grinned really wide.

"Mama P!" they yelled in unison before lunging at the woman. She grinned at the two and wrapped her arms around them.

"Ah, my other two favorite children! The good ones. At least you two call me." Puck rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee.

"Ma, I think you covered all the bases on what a bad son I am last night. Can we stop now?" Dianna ticked her eyebrow at her son in challenge and replied,

"Only if you promise me that Tina and Mike will be safe once I leave the city." Another sip of coffee before he set the cup down on the table and crossed his arms with a smirk.

"So we're talking about you leaving now? I could live with this conversation." Dianna inhaled sharply about to lay into him for being disrespectful when Rebecca emerged from the hallway with her arms stretched over her head and her mouth open wide in a yawn. The room went silent and everyone looked at her. After a second, she stopped walking and opened her eyes. Her face lit up with a bright smile as she ran towards Tina and Mike.

"Ninjas," she squealed, sounding much more like a five year old child than a woman months away from her nineteenth birthday. They both hugged her and she stopped squealing long enough to really look at them. "You guys are still alive? I thought for sure Noah would've killed you on sight. You've gone soft bro." Everyone but Puck laughed at that and nodded in agreement. Well, Rachel didn't exactly agree with it. After the night they'd had (prior to the family vacation time of course), _soft_ was certainly not a word she would associate with Noah, and she completely and totally blamed him for the tracks laid for that train of thought. Rachel saw his smirk out of the corner of her eye and knew he was thinking the same thing. But then he froze, as if realizing he no longer had a handle on the situation, and tightened his arms across his chest.

"Hey hold up, Becca get away from them. They're traitors right now. You're not allowed to talk to traitors." Mike turned around, possibly the most adorable pout on his face that Rachel had ever seen in her life, and stepped towards Noah.

"Puck, dude, you know you're my boy. And that means we look out for each other when we screw up. This is just like the time in school when I got drunk and passed out on your couch after a party we had when your mom was working." At that, Dianna screeched,

"Excuse me!" Puck rolled his eyes and held his hand up to stop the verbal attack about to pour from his mother once more.

"You just can't keep your mouth shut can you dude? Anymore secrets from high school you wanna let out or should I just punch you in the face right now?" Mike flinched a little but knew for a fact that Puck would never actually fight him in front of his mom and sister. Well, he was like seventy-five percent sure he wouldn't fight him.

"My point is that I messed up and I was gonna get busted by my parents. But you had my back and let me sleep it off until the next morning. So that's all this was. We got your back man." Puck set his jaw, and for moment Rachel got a little distracted by all the hard angles (See? Nothing soft there), but then he moved away from her and walked around the couch, within arm's reach of Mike.

"Man when we were in high school and I let you sleep on our couch, it was so your parents wouldn't find out that you got plastered. I plead temporary insanity for doing what I did to Rach and you two go and call my mother? That's the exact opposite! I get that you were pissed. I do. But you had no right to drag my mom into this, no offense Ma. I just, what the hell man? I thought I could trust you two." Rachel stepped around the couch so that she stood in between Mike and Noah, preventing any possible violence that had the _slightest_ chance of erupting.

"Noah," she spoke evenly, "think about what you're saying. Mike and Tina only called your mother because they thought you were messing up. Admittedly, you did, but that's beside the point. You know you're stubborn. So why on earth would they have come to you first to talk you about it when, for all they knew, you would just blow up on them like you're doing right now? And Tina said that they tried fix it when they realized we'd patched things up. You can't stay angry at your best friends for caring about you Noah. That's just ridiculous." Everyone in the room watched as the tension visibly left Puck's body. Rachel seemed to have this calming effect over him that Dianna and Rebecca had never seen before. Dianna studied the way her son stared at the petite woman blocking him from causing her other two 'children' any harm, the way his fists unclenched at the sound of her voice, the green that came out in his hazel eyes as he gave her the tiniest of grins. Mike stepped a little closer and waited for Puck to look at him again.

"Dude, we're family. You can't stay pissed at us forever." Puck's eyes blazed a little once more as he stared back at his friends, but even he had to admit to himself that Rachel made sense. He was being ridiculous. But the last thing he wanted to do was admit it out loud. He gently slid Rachel out of the way and held his hands out towards Tina and Mike. Two identical grins broke out over their faces and they knew instantly what was expected of them.

Dianna smiled brightly as she watched the trio do the same silly 'secret' handshake they'd invented when they were ten years old. It was complicated and odd and completely them. It made her heart melt to see it again after so many years. She could tell, by the looks on the faces of the other women in the room, that they'd never seen the three friends do this little handshake. It seemed as though, since they'd all grown older, they only brought it out for special occasions or something. When they were finished, the room burst into laughter and it was back to normal. Well, if you can call the situation 'normal' that is. Dianna stepped to the side and whispered in her daughter's ear,

"Rebecca, I think you should go see the city with Tina and Mike today." Rebecca shot her mother a wary glance, recognizing the too-sweet intonation her voice had suddenly gained. Her mother wanted something, and she wanted her out of the way for it.

"What are you up to," she whispered back, the two going unnoticed by the rest of the room's occupants. Dianna's eyes gleamed as she smiled and replied,

"I'd just like to talk to your brother about some things, mother to son, and I felt as though you would enjoy spending time with Mike and Tina again." Rebecca pursed her lips and stared her mother down. Unfortunately, not all of the 'Jew powers' had been passed down to her yet so she still lacked the whole 'stare of truth' as Noah had deemed it when they were younger. The woman could've headed the fucking Spanish Inquisition with only that _stare_ in her arsenal. And probably could've walked away with more information too! It was freaky as hell and Rebecca couldn't wait until she mastered it. Either way, she gave up trying to get anything more from Dianna and nodded her head curtly. She could agree to it, but she was gonna warn Noah that he had a surprise waiting for him.

Puck could see his sister and mom whispering to each other, and he could pretty much guess what was coming next.

"Noah, I think you and I should have lunch today. You can show me some sights." He hung his head in defeat, grumbling under his breath about how much she was cock-blocking him and turned towards Rachel. Rachel smiled up at him and ran her hand up his arm.

"I should go anyway. Catch up with your family, have fun. I'll call you tonight or something. I really need to talk to San about some stuff." Santana shot her friend a curious look but kept her mouth shut. Tina walked over to her with a smile on her face and pressed her lips to hers. Nobody missed how Santana's hand slipped down the boning of Tina's corset to rest on the tiny swell of her backside. It wasn't until Brittany laughed lightly, something she always did when any form of PDA went on in front of her, that the two broke apart.

"I'll see you at the shoot in the morning," Tina whispered. Rachel couldn't help the grin that broke out over her face. It was just so oddly perfect to see her best friend being all schmoopy with someone, in a serious relationship, truly happy. The two women were so perfect together. The way they seemed to even each other out reminded her of her own relationship with Noah. She looked around for her duffel bag because she had a change of clothes in there she'd meant to change in to the day before but she'd gotten in a hurry to find Noah and forgot all about them. But now, she was painfully aware that she was standing there in nothing but his plaid shirt, which was really soft and smelled like him, and her workout pants with no undergarments on. Not wearing underwear was obscenely uncomfortable and she truly couldn't understand why Noah seemed to enjoy it so much. Noah just grinned and walked over to where her bag had been forgotten the day before and picked it up. He handed it to her and chuckled as he leaned down to whisper in her ear,

"The no panties thing is killing you isn't it?" Rachel could only glare at him momentarily because she was reminded of just how well he knew her. She nodded her head and wrapped her hand around the bag's strap. "Go change babe."

When Rachel came out of the bathroom, feeling decidedly better to be in clean clothes, there were far less people in the room. Mike, Tina, Brittany, and Rebecca were gone. Dianna was talking to Santana leaving Noah sitting on the couch scratching his head. As Rachel walked further into the room, she understood why he was left out of the conversation. The two women were having an odd conversation about some sort of faux-fur trend going on that Tina had most likely started before she left. Santana noticed Rachel had reentered the room and grinned at her. Noah stood up from the couch, like he could sense her presence, and turned around. He walked around to her and curled his fingers into her hips, pulling her close. When his lips were near enough that she could taste the words he spoke, he locked her eyes with his and said,

"Get out while you can baby." Rachel laughed lightly and nodded her head.

"Um, San," she started, "can we head home? I really need to call Jason and tell him that everything's okay. He was worried. I still need to talk to you anyway." Something in Rachel's voice made Puck's eyebrow quirk up in curiosity, mentally reminding himself to try and get that conversation out of Santana later.

"What was Jason worried about," he asked. Rachel laughed and shrugged her shoulders.

"You apparently made quite an impression on him yesterday. He was very concerned that I wouldn't give you a second chance as you converted him to Team Noah. He was certainly rooting for you so I don't know what you said to him but he was definitely on your side." Dianna's interest was piqued and she fixed him with that stare of truth. Yeah, he didn't miss that thing at all.

"I just told him what happened, how much I messed up what a good thing I had, and how much I needed to fix it. Of course he's on Team Puck babe. Team Puck always wins. Dude's not stupid." Rachel rolled her eyes but couldn't help giggling. Dianna had moved closer to them and asked,

"I'm sorry but who is this Jason." Puck could hear the cynical judge-y edge that had bled into his mother's voice. Those wheels in her head were already turning, trying to figure out Jason was and trying to determine if he was a threat or not.

"Jason is Rachel's director for _West Side Story_ Ma. Not some guy trying to steal her away from me, so stop plotting his death. Besides, the only way he'd try and take Rach is if she was a dude so we have nothing to worry about there." Dianna's mouth dropped just a little as realization plus slight embarrassment colored her features.

"Oh. _Oh_. Well then, I'll just go get some more coffee and get ready for our lunch today dear. It was nice meeting you Santana. Rachel honey, I hope we'll be seeing each other again very soon." The woman disappeared into the kitchen and Puck let out a breath. Rachel released one too and tilted her head up towards him. He briefly pressed his lips to hers and held her around her waist. Santana cleared her throat behind them but Puck just flipped her off behind Rachel's back and listened to the small pissed off sound she made with a tiny smirk. Rachel pulled back for a breath and grinned.

"Noah, stop flipping off my best friend." Puck's eyes opened a bit wider in a 'what did I do' kind of way and replied,

"What? She gets to mack on Tina all the time but I can't kiss you a little bit without her acting all weird? Sorry Lopez, deal with it." Puck instantly slipped his hand around the back of Rachel's neck and pulled her closer than before. Her mouth opened to him easily and she slipped her tongue past his. His kiss went gentle and he pulled back, only to have her follow and nip at his bottom lip.

"Noah, shouldn't you two have to breathe now?" That was not Santana's voice. Rachel and Puck ripped themselves away from each other with a groan in their throats. Dianna leaned against the kitchen doorframe, quietly sipping her own coffee with what appeared to be the Puckerman family smirk on her face. Santana was snickering at the two of them, like a child watching two playmates get in trouble. Puck just breathed out and leaned his forehead against Rachel's. She couldn't really do anything but smile at him.

"Bye Noah."

"See ya baby." Puck watched Rachel and Santana walk out his door and closed it behind them. He then turned around and glared at his mother. "If you're done cock-blocking me now, I'm gonna go take a shower and get dressed. Figure out where you want to go for lunch."

**

* * *

**

Rachel crashed onto the couch as soon as their apartment door closed. Santana picked her legs up and sat down so that Rachel's legs were across her lap. "Alright Rach, spill. You said you wanted to talk about something and I can tell it's something big so fess up. What's going on?" Rachel opened her eyes and stared at Santana for a second, contemplating whether or not to tell her. But then, she had a feeling that she already knew. Santana had always seemed to just know these things about her.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with Noah." Santana nodded her head and leaned back against the cushions.

"Why just 'pretty sure'?" Rachel started a bit at the fact that Santana was being so nonchalant that she'd just used the L word. Santana noticed the expression on Rachel's face and rolled her eyes. "Look, since I've been with Tina, I understand all that touchy feely crap better now. I'm not pretty sure on my feelings for her. I know I love her. So, I'm just saying, if _I _can know something like that, you should too. So, real quick, are you in love with him or not?"

"I am," Rachel answered without really thinking about it. She gasped and met Santana's knowing gaze. "I'm in love Noah. I love Noah." Rachel grinned, really liking the way it sounded. But then the thought of repeating it to Noah made her queasy. What would he do? How would he react?

"Rach, I've seen the way he looks at you. He may not know it yet, but he's totally in the same place. Mike and Tina can both see it. Hell, even Brittany started picking up on it lately. You should have been there. When Mike was so pissed off after I told him what happened, she asked what was wrong. So when I repeated it to her, she had tears in her eyes and started mumbling about how you two were like peas and carrots or something. Personally, I think the girl watched 'Forrest Gump' way too much as a kid but whatever." Rachel still looked a little worried so Santana squeezed her knee comfortingly and smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. It'll happen. For now, just be happy you know it." Rachel rose up on her elbows and stared at Santana, briefly wondering what had happened to her best friend. Santana just laughed lightly and shook her head. "Love makes you do crazy shit sometimes Rach, even grow up."

**

* * *

**

The restaurant his mom had picked was a small one that some guy she loved watching on Food Network owned. After they order their food, Dianna leaned over and placed her hands in front of her. He knew this was coming. She'd refused to talk about anything with him while in the apartment. Probably wanted to get him in public to prevent him from making a scene or something. For some reason, she was stalling and he just wanted to get the whole conversation over with.

"Alright Ma, I'll start. If you've known about me and Rachel the whole time, why were you so surprised to see her last night? I mean, we kinda left clothes everywhere." Dianna's eyes flitted around the restaurant for a moment before she looked back at Puck.

"Well, just because I'd seen pictures of the two of you doesn't mean that I could really tell how serious you two were. And when I was informed of the break up and then I saw the clothes strewn about your apartment, I merely assumed you'd returned to your old habits as a way to cope." Puck thought about what she said for a second and then took a sip of his drink.

"So wait a second, you thought I was having a one-night stand to get over Rachel. What the hell woman?" Dianna just shrugged her shoulders.

"What was I supposed to think Noah? You've gone through your life one sexual encounter after another. I had no real proof that this was any different. So yes, when I saw what I did, I thought you'd resorted to one of your flings to possibly relieve the pain of letting Rachel go. I was prepared for that actually. But, as you can see, I wasn't prepared to see _her_ in the place of some slut you picked up." Puck could only stare at his mother. Was he really _that_ bad? He knew what the answer would've been a couple months ago. But now, just the idea of picking up some random chick to try and replace Rachel made him want to hurl. Hell, he'd considered it. When he'd walked away from her on the sidewalk, (fuck, thinking about that still made him feel like shit) he'd seen a couple of co-eds that he wouldn't have hesitated to screw around with before Rachel had come along. But then, every time he blinked all he could see was the tears streaming down the gorgeous face of the woman he'd hurt and confused because of his own idiotic insecurity.

"It wouldn't have been that easy Ma. Rach isn't someone you just replace with a one-night stand. That's why I had to get her back before it was too late. That's why I never told you about her. You know I've never been serious about anyone before. I didn't wanna risk anything messing us up. And then what do I do? I screwed it all up on my own." Dianna reached across the table and placed her hand over his, lending a comforting smile to her son.

"Honey, you didn't screw anything up. Rachel took you back didn't she? I mean, I'm sure that wasn't a mirage I saw last night and this morning. Your sister has her autograph to prove it. That girl cares about you, and you care about her. I don't think anything else matters." Puck looked down at his mother's hand covering his and grinned. For all her craziness, she was still the woman he could always count on.

"Says the woman who bust up in my apartment in the middle of the night saying that I'd ruined her life. That's sweet mom. But I guess you're right. Nothing else really matters." Dianna nodded her head, happy that, for once in his life, her son seemed to agree with her.

"So, why aren't the two of you living together yet?" Puck threw his hands up in the air. Just when he thought that maybe, just _maybe_, she would lay off on the insanity, she throws a curve ball instead.

"We've been together for a month mom. Two if you count the month we just fooled around but actually _together_ for a month. She's got her own life, I've got mine. Besides, in another two weeks her show's opening and moving in together would just complicate stuff." The disapproving look that earned him made him frown.

"She doesn't even have a _drawer_ for her things at your apartment! From what she told me of the sleeping arrangements you two have, it seems as though she's at your place more than you are hers. And that little stash of lace you have hidden in the bottom of your nightstand hardly constitutes as her having a drawer."

"Hey back up! You went through my shit? Sorry, I must have missed the part where we went back in time to when I was ten! Ma you had no right to look through my stuff." He lowered his voice as the waiter came back with their food and waited until the kid walked away before he started again. "What is wrong with you?"

"Noah," Dianna pleaded, "your sister wanted one of your shirts to sleep in so I was looking for one." Puck sat back and crossed his arms, not touching his food yet.

"Uh huh, and was this before or after you forgot that I have a closet full of shirts?" Dianna at least looked a little ashamed about that, but he figured it was probably because she got caught, not because she felt any actual shame over looking through his stuff. "You just look through all my stuff trying to find out all of mine and Rachel's secrets. Geez, when Becca warned me that I was in for it, I had no idea you took the mishegas to a whole new level this time." His mother glared at him, that scary glare that had made him cry when he was younger, and took a bite of her pasta.

"The disrespect can stop Noah Puckerman and it can stop right now. I am tired of these allusions to my lack of sanity. If in fact I am crazy, I have you and your sister to thank. I don't believe I need to remind you that you were a difficult child Noah. And Rebecca is seeing some boy she met at Temple who is," Puck's ears perked up at that.

"Becca's seeing some guy? What's his name? How old is he?" Dianna shot a knowing look at her son, secretly pleased with how protective he was over his baby sister.

"As I was saying, he's a very nice Jewish boy she met at Temple a few weeks ago. His name is Nathaniel and she is just so sweet with him. He just turned twenty. But I must admit that the idea of her dating someone seriously leaves me worrying a little. She's my baby girl." Puck grumbled and shoveled a forkful of food into his mouth.

"You're just letting her date him because she met him at Temple. If I hear of him pulling anything with her, I will find this kid and beat the shit out of him." Dianna laughed at that and shook her head.

"I know you will Noah. You always were very protective of us. But your sister can hold her own, you taught her that. We Puckerman women are strong and resilient." The two grew silent, the unspoken _we have to be_ hanging in the air between them for a moment until finally Puck sat up in his chair.

"So, how long you two gonna be in town?" Puck loved his mom and his baby sister, but he already missed Rachel and it'd only been a few hours since he'd seen her last. But he knew that, given the fight she'd put up over sleeping with him on the couch, there was no way he was seeing any action as long as his family was bunking with him. And I mean, come on, he couldn't just kick his mom and baby sister out. Shit's not kosher.

"Well, I did take the week off from work but I suppose that we don't have to stay the entire time. I would hate for us to be in the way. And I'm sure that you and Rachel would like your alone time. Rebecca and I could get a hotel room, I'm sure that'll be expensive though. Do you know of any lower priced hotels in the city?" Puck rolled his eyes. Damn woman always had a guilt trip up her sleeve locked, loaded, and ready for action. There was no escape.

"Ma, you guys are staying with me. I don't wanna give you any more ammo for the 'Noah is Bad Son' arsenal. I was just wondering if Becca was gonna be here long enough for me to take her to Central Park like I promised her last time." The smile that lit up his mother's face was kinda worth the unexpected turn of the last twenty-four hours. As a kid and teenager, he hadn't seen that smile very often. It was a nice change.

"So," she started as she needlessly straightened her napkin on the table, "when can I expect to see Rachel again? Since you two aren't living together yet, I assume she'll be stopping by sometime. I really would like to get to know the girl, just in case, something should happen again." Puck's eyes blazed and he took the bait before realizing what it was.

"Nothing is gonna happen Ma! I'm not gonna go and screw this up again. Breaking up with her was the stupidest thing I've done in a long time and I know that. That's why I went and got her back as soon as I could. I was fucking miserable without her, and I really hurt her. You have no idea how much I regret that alright, so just lay off. I'm not gonna force her to come break challah with you because you love her already. I'm not letting her go again, not after the epic suckfest of the first time around." Dianna Puckerman had heard her son say many things over the years. Apologetic was not a tone she'd ever heard inflected on his voice. And the look in his eyes as he'd talked of being miserable without Rachel only confirmed what she'd initially suspected upon seeing the couple interact with each other. Her son was well on his way to falling in love with this woman, if not already in love with her and just too stubborn to realize and admit it.

"Either way, I'd like to spend some time with her before I leave. When do her rehearsals end?" The thought of Rachel spending time with his mom was kind of weird. When her dads had been in time, he'd only really seen them in passing. He didn't have to sit through dinner or anything with them asking questions about his intentions with their daughter.

"Um, it depends. The stuff they do each day changes so there's no set time when they end rehearsals. What if we all went out one night or something? Me, you, Becca, Rachel, might as well bring Mike and Tina along too. And if those two are coming, Santana and Brittany should be there too. If we're doing a family dinner, it's gonna be all of us or none of us. That way, you can't gang up on Rachel." Dianna looked offended and brought a hand to her chest.

"Noah, I would never gang up on her. But if that's the only way I'm going to get any time with her, I'll take it. I suppose you'll want ample time to _warn_ her about me. I would be more offended if I didn't find it so endearing that you seem so protective of Rachel. I trust you'll set it up?"

Puck nodded his head. His mother was gonna find some way to get to Rachel no matter what he did. But, the more people he could put in the same place at the same time, the less chance he had of her making some comment about wedding guests that would freak Rachel out. He couldn't take that risk. "I'll talk to her about it. Just promise me that you won't try and get her measurements when she's not looking." Dianna just grinned this smile that had him a little worried. Her response scared the shit out of him.

"Honey, I can make an educated guess at her measurements."

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Rachel looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was straight, too straight. She ran her fingers through it and tousled the tresses. She was pretty pleased with the look that created and clasped her necklace around her neck. As she adjusted the small Star of David so it was centered perfectly, she smiled at her reflection.

Noah had called her just as she was leaving rehearsal that afternoon. She hadn't seen him since the morning before when she left him with his mother in the apartment. He'd told her about his lunch with his mom, taking his sister to Central Park, and then apparently being driven insane by the both of them staying in his apartment. Rachel tried to explain to him that it couldn't possibly be that bad since it'd been less than forty-eight hours since they'd arrived. That earned her a groan because apparently it only reminded him that they still had another four days before they went back home. He loved his family, she knew that. But she could certainly understand the need to be away from them. So when he asked if she was too tired from rehearsal to come to the club that night, she immediately told him that she was never too tired to see him.

So as she slipped her feet into her hot pink stilettos and fastened the Mary Jane-esque strap across them, she couldn't help grinning at the finished product. Her make-up was light, just some lip gloss she knew that Noah liked the taste of and a little eyeliner to make her eyes pop. She'd picked out a black bustier with pink embroidering all over the bodice and a black ruffled skirt trimmed with pink lace. With the heels and the skirt, she knew Noah would drool. That was the intention.

"Rach! You ready to go? Tina's downstairs with the cab." Santana's voice sounded from the other side of the door and Rachel opened it with one last look at her reflection. "Ooh, _mamacita_! Somebody's getting fucked later, I mean besides me of course. You gonna tell Puck you love him tonight?" Rachel smiled a little brighter and shrugged her bare shoulders.

"Like you said San, it'll happen. I'm not going to waste time worrying about it." Santana kissed her cheek and laughed.

"Good! Let's go."

When the three women stepped out of the cab in front of Chase the Morning, Rachel could tell it had already been a busy night so far. The line outside was insane as always and the bouncer smiled at them as they walked up.

"Puck is in his office Miss Berry. You should be able to go on up. You three have a nice night." Rachel smiled at the man as he lifted the rope for them to enter the club and watched Santana and Tina wave at him before the door closed. They were met with a scolding look from Rachel when they turned back around.

"You two should really stop using your relationship against straight men. It just plants unnecessary fantasies in their heads." Both women rolled their eyes at her and walked around her, quickly making their way to the dancefloor. Rachel watched as they met up with Brittany and Mike, already surrounded by an audience with eyes glued to their flawless dancing. She smiled and made her way to the door that lead upstairs to the offices.

As soon as the heavy door closed, the music muffled slightly. She walked down the dimly lit hallway and stopped in front of Noah's office door. After a second of running a hand over her hair to make sure it was still smooth, she knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" was heard from inside so she opened the door and walked in. He must have been in the office for a while because the entire room smelled like him. It was amazing, heady, and almost knocked her off her feet. He hadn't looked up from his desk yet so he didn't know she was standing there.

"Shouldn't you be downstairs Noah?" She whispered breathily across the room and smiled when his head whipped up in her direction. His eyes raked over her body, darkening with every second they remained glued to her person.

"Holy shit," he breathed out. His cock throbbed in his pants as he stared across the room. He was pretty sure that the only possible way Rachel could get any hotter would be if she suddenly just stripped down to nothing but those heels. "Baby, wow." Rachel laughed and bit her bottom lip before walking across the floor closer to the desk. He sat back in his chair and motioned for her to come around the desk. When she moved, her skirt flared and he saw how short it really was. The pink lace on the edges brushed against her thighs and his fingers itched to touch her. He was instantly reminded of the first time she'd walked into his office and of his burning need to fuck her into his desktop.

"Noah, are you okay? You look a little pale." Puck cleared his throat and stood up, easily slipping his arms around her waist and holding her tight.

"You kinda made all the blood run south." His voice was low against the muffled music playing just on the other side of the tinted floor to ceiling windows. Rachel smirked up at him, pleased that the desired reaction had been incited.

"Good, that was the point." He kissed his way up her neck and sucked on her ear lobe. His hand slipped down her body and cupped her ass firmly through the many ruffles of lace and satin. Puck lifted her chin up and noticed the way her skin just seemed to glow in the soft light of the room. Her eyes had never looked warmer than right before his lips touched hers. There was something familiar in them, something he'd seen the other night when he was rocking into her body in the bathtub, and again just before they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms. The same warmth he witnessed right before he'd left her in the living room with his mother and sister to change the sheets on his bed so they could sleep there. Whatever that look was, he was pretty sure he liked it a lot. He pressed his lips to hers gently, moving with her mouth slowly. Rachel's response got a little more heated and he backed her up on the edge of the desk. That's when he remembered that all of the paperwork was still on the desk.

"Hey hold up babe, give me just a second." Rachel scooted so she was standing again and watched as Noah pushed everything that was on the desktop off onto the floor. She giggled and looked up at him as he picked her up and sat her down where all the papers had just been. Something in that one action set her off and had her reaching for the fly on his pants.

"Noah, can people see in the windows?" He quickly mumbled something about them being so darkly tinted that it was impossible just before he buried his face in her neck. Rachel didn't fumble much with his zipper, thankful that he wasn't wearing a belt, (or underwear she noted) and stroked his length without hesitation.

"Fuck Rach," Puck moaned, "on the desk?" Rachel backed up a little and looked at him.

"Well I'd hate it if you just wasted that very impressive sweep of all your things onto the floor." She grinned and ran her thumb over the head, eliciting another moan from the man in front of her.

"You're insane," he whispered huskily. Rachel just smiled and opened her legs a little wider to allow for him to move closer. As his hands slipped under her skirt to push her panties aside, she replied,

"Tell me you don't love it." Puck leaned into her body, the tip of his penis lightly brushing against her inner thigh. He gently pressed his lips to hers and smiled.

"Can't do that babe." Rachel placed her hands on the back of his neck and led his body over hers as she laid flat on the desktop. When he slipped inside her body, she moaned and wrapped her legs around him. He bruised her neck with his mouth and licked at her collarbone. Rachel arched her back as Puck slammed his body against her. She couldn't believe that heat she already felt building at her center, threatening to burn her from the inside out. His hands gripped her sides, even through the bodice his fingers were scorching.

Her shortened breaths became screams that went unheard by the crowd outside the room. Puck could feel the way she started clenching around him. She was writhing on the desktop, hair hanging over the edge, hands gripping his arms. This woman would be the death of him. He could hear the song playing just on the other side of the glass, a remixed version of Shakira's "Loca", and felt that it was oddly perfect. Rachel gasped out loud and he felt her nails dig just a little deeper into his biceps. He quickened his movements and pressed his lips to hers. It was like a firework went off in her body as soon as their tongues met. She arched completely off the desk with a moan and held onto him tightly. In the aftershocks of her orgasm, he spent himself inside her and could've sworn he blacked out for a few seconds.

Rachel was somewhat surprised by the tender way he pressed his lips to hers at the same time he pulled out of her body. She kissed him back and whispered against his mouth, "Noah that was amazing." He smirked and tucked himself back into his pants. After he zipped the fly once more, he looked back at her.

"I know, I can honestly say I never thought that would happen. Totally glad it did though." He watched as Rachel slid off the desk and straightened her skirt. He decided to bite the bullet. "Listen, my mom wants us all to go out sometime. I made a deal with her though. Everybody's gotta come, so that she can't get to you." Rachel rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Get to me? Really Noah, the woman can't be that bad. But I suppose a group outing would take the pressure off. At least this time I spend time with her, I'll be dressed properly." Puck chuckled, happy that she wasn't freaking out as he expected her to. But he did somewhat question her sanity at her second statement but quickly attributed it to the fact that she probably hit her head against the desk or something. "Come on Noah, let's go downstairs. I need to dance."

That night as Rachel had her arms wrapped around his neck, body grinding against his, he thought he heard her whisper three little words. But with the music and crowd around them, he couldn't be sure. But one thing he knew, those words didn't sound that bad.


	13. Chapter 13

**a/n: first off, gonna apologize for the crazy long wait with this chapter. As my twin foreverGleek20 and anyone who follows me on twitter will tell you, I've had some major emergencies with this story and some crap life crisis going on lately. But all is good now and here's the latest chapter. It's not exactly heavy on the Puckleberry action but they have their moments and I promise we'll get back to the smuckleberry first thing next chapter! So anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and please review! I don't own Glee.**

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It was weird. Puck could pinpoint the exact moment he realized he was in love with Rachel. They were making out on his couch after watching some movie on TV and Rachel giggled when his hand grazed up her side. He hadn't meant to tickle her, it usually ruined the mood, but when she laughed into the kiss, it did something to him. She rose up with a smile on her face and he thought, _Man, I could spend the rest of my life with this woman._ He knew it had been happening for a while because it actually didn't surprise him that much when he did realize it. It probably helped that he was like eighty percent sure she felt the same way. He never asked her to repeat what she'd said on the dancefloor the other night at the club. Lots of things can sound like 'I love you', right? The last thing he wanted to do was ask her about it and find out that she totally didn't say what he thought she said. He really didn't know how to bring it up though. Love is a pretty big deal and it's not something you just blurt out because you can't think of anything else to say. So yeah, it was a little complicated.

But the worst part was that he realized it at the worst possible time, while his fucking mother was still in town. He'd talked Santana into scoring some shopping spree at a boutique she'd done a photo spread for one time and he gave it to his sister and mom just to get them out of the apartment for a little while. They were driving him crazy. It'd been years since he'd had to share a space with them and he really preferred to keep that way.

Rachel had come over right after rehearsal that day because it was the day of the big family dinner. After showering and changing clothes, they'd settled in for the movie as they waited for the rest of the 'family' to be ready. Suddenly Rachel got up from his lap and started rummaging around in her duffel bag. "What're you doing babe?" He saw her pull an envelope out of the bag and she walked back over to the couch. She sat down beside him and handed him the envelope. His name was written on the front in her neat scrawl and he just looked at her. "What is this?" Rachel rolled her eyes.

"The idea is to open it Noah." He gently poked her in the ribs, making her squirm a little, and slid his finger under the flap to open the envelope. Inside were three opening night tickets to _West Side Story_ starring Rachel Berry and Austin DeFore. He held them up in front of his face and then turned a questioning eye her way.

"Three?" Rachel smiled and nodded her head.

"One is for you. I thought that perhaps you could give one to Rebecca as an early birthday present and the other one is for Dianna of course. I just hope they'll be able to make it since they've already taken this week off to be here." He stared at her for a second before he really grasped what she'd just said. She'd gotten tickets. To opening night of her play. The one she was starring in. Tickets not just for him, but for his mother and sister too. If he'd had any doubts whatsoever about his feelings for her, they would've completely disappeared in that instant. He placed the tickets back in the envelope and put it on the table in front of the couch. Rachel looked disappointed for a moment, sad that he didn't seem to like the gift, but he wiped that look from her face instantly. Puck crowded her body and leaned over so that she was lying down before he gently swiped his tongue across her lips. He felt her arms sweep up his sides, over his arms, and around his neck as she pulled him down on her further.

"Thank you," he whispered, "you are so fucking incredible." Rachel smiled at him and tugged on his lip until he lowered his head to hers. He fingered a strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes and moved it out of the way before kissing her again. Rachel moaned a little as she pressed her lips harder against his.

"Noah honey, come help us with these bags." Rachel heard Dianna's voice coming from the doorway followed by a short gasp. Noah groaned over her and pressed his lips to her forehead before he stood up from the couch. He held his hands out to her and she allowed him to pull her up. She giggled at his huff as he walked over to Dianna, her hands full of shopping bags held out in front of her waiting for him to take them. "We haven't interrupted anything, have we dear?" Rachel took one glance at Noah and knew that he was about to say something.

"No ma'am," she easily interrupted whatever he would've said, "we just finished a movie." Dianna smiled, that same calculating smile that always left Rachel guessing, and nodded her head. Rebecca walked in behind her mom and sat her bags down in the floor with a bit of a flourish.

"I love Santana," the teen declared. "That was the coolest store I've ever seen. And all we had to do was mention Santana's name and we got everything free. And then, I was just talking about her at another store and we got our entire purchase for half off! Seriously, she is awesome." Noah put Dianna's bags on the table and walked over to where Rebecca had put hers. As he lifted them from the floor with ease, he responded,

"You're _welcome_ kid. I'm the one who got Lopez to get it for you." Rebecca just looked at Noah for a second before rolling her eyes.

"Yeah thanks whatever. I can't wait until tonight. She said she would bring a couple of her portfolios to the restaurant to show mom some pictures. Seriously Noah, how is it that you know such awesome people? I mean, I always thought that Tina and Mike were cool but I grew up with them. First Rachel and now Santana. Don't even get me started on Brittany. Her crew is incredible!" Rachel smiled at the girl and laughed at the way Noah rolled his eyes. The two were hilarious to watch, and so alike. She walked over to her and fingered the handle on one of the bags before asking her,

"So what did you get on your shopping spree?" Puck sat back down on the couch as Rachel and Rebecca went through her bags. It didn't suck that the two women got along. Dianna walked back into the room and went over to the girls. As they started holding up different items of clothing, a knock was heard at the door. Puck figured it was either Mike and Brittany or Santana and Tina so he got up to let them in. When Santana and Tina walked into the apartment holding hands, he had a feeling things had gone pretty good at the photo shoot that day. But when both women looked at him, they stared at him for a second. Tina kinked her eyebrow at him.

"Something's different about you." Puck looked down at his clothes and couldn't see anything different. Then he thought back to earlier, when he'd realized that he was in love with Rachel, but quickly pushed that aside. No way would something like that make him _look_ different. Besides, his mom would've totally said something. Luckily, he was saved from having to respond when Santana's gaze landed on Rachel.

"Oh dear god _what_ are you wearing?" Rachel looked down at the clothing she'd put on after her shower. It was a green tank top with a white shirt over that. She was wearing a simple pair of comfortable jeans and some tennis shoes. The restaurant they were going to wasn't fancy or anything so she didn't think her clothing choice would be a big deal.

"Um, clothes," she answered. Puck snickered but Santana looked at Tina and rolled her eyes.

"You see what I have to put up with. Rach, we need to fix this. Now." Puck chuckled at the 'help me' expression on his girlfriend's face and watched as Santana picked up the bag she'd brought with her from the shoot that day. The two women ushered Rachel down the hall into the bathroom. Santana yelled back to everyone, "this'll only take a few minutes."

Tina looked at Santana and giggled just slightly. The look on Santana's face was one she'd gotten used to seeing at the photo shoot, like she was an artist waiting for the canvas to reveal what picture should be painted, appraising. Suddenly, Santana groaned and threw her hands up in the air.

"Rach, what did you do to your hair? It looks like sex hair and a bird's nest all in one." Rachel scoffed at her but smoothed a hand over her head nonetheless.

"I came over here after rehearsals. I took a shower but Noah doesn't have a hair dryer so I just let it dry naturally." Santana crossed her arms and pursed her lips slightly, as though she didn't really believe Rachel's story.

"Uh huh, and then you and Puck fooled around better be the rest of that story. Whatever, you can't go out to dinner with your boyfriend's _mother_ dressed like that. We've gotta fix this. Where's your Jew star?" Rachel glared at her friend and replied,

"My _Star_ of _David_ necklace is in my bag. Dianna already knows I'm Jewish. I don't think she requires a reminder." Tina laughed and shook her head.

"Rachel, there's no such thing as 'too many brownie points' with Dianna Puckerman. I'll get the necklace. San, that blue blouse should look good with her complexion." The fiery woman smiled at her girlfriend and nodded her head.

"Baby, I was just thinking the same thing." Tina laughed and left the bathroom. Rachel looked at Santana in the mirror and saw the goofy grin on her face. Santana saw her giggle and shook her head. "Oh what the fuck ever bitch. You have the exact same look on your face when you look at Puck so _can_ it." Rachel laughed and nudged the girl with her shoulder as she ran a brush through her hair.

"Does she know why you look at her like that?" Santana grinned and replied,

"I told her today at the shoot. And yes, before you ask, she said it back so can we concentrate on your train wreck head now. Seriously, why don't you keep a hair dryer here or something?" Rachel shrugged as Tina reentered the bathroom with the Star of David necklace in her hand. She laid it on the counter and pulled the blue blouse she'd mentioned before from Santana's bag. Rachel had to admit that it looked prettier than what she had on.

"Okay Rach, off with the clothes," Tina said. Santana laughed as she pinned up one section of Rachel's hair.

"That's so weird, I'm used to her saying that to me." Tina blushed at Santana's comment and took the brush from her hand. Rachel quipped,

"I'm used to hearing it from Noah."

After the two women had fixed her hair to their specifications and she'd changed into the shirt they picked out, Rachel fastened the clasp of her necklace around her neck and looked at her reflection. Even she had to admit that she looked better than before.

"So," she started, "how do I look?" Santana's gaze turned appraising once more as she looked Rachel up and down.

"If I weren't with Tina, I'd do you." Tina and Rachel both started laughing but Rachel cleared her throat and replied,

"I will just say that, even in a hypothetical situation, I love that you remain faithful to Tina." Santana rolled her eyes and pushed Rachel toward the bathroom door.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I'm hungry. Let's go."

When the three of them got back to the living room, Rachel could see that Mike and Brittany had arrived. Brittany was talking with Rebecca while Noah was trying to keep Mike away from his video games. When Noah looked up, a smile on his face from having landed a light punch in Mike's stomach, he froze as his gaze met hers. The room fell silent for a moment until Brittany cleared her throat and said,

"Why did everyone stop talking? Are we like, praying before we get to the restaurant so we can eat faster? Because I don't speak Jewish." That comment effectively broke the tension and everyone chuckled at the blonde's comment. The group started getting their coats on to leave when Rachel realized she'd forgotten hers at the theatre. Before she could say anything, she felt the slight weight of one of Noah's jackets placed on her shoulders and noticed that Noah had moved from across the room so that he stood beside her. She smiled up at his smirk and slipped her arms into the sleeves. Noah leaned down and whispered in her ear,

"You should start keeping some of your shit here so you don't always have to steal mine." To that, she elbowed him in the side with a giggle. He laughed and added, "seriously, I'll clean out a shelf in the bathroom and a drawer in my room, as soon as Ma and Becca are out of town and it's my room again. Cool with you?" Rachel nodded her head and slipped her hand into his. "Alright people, let's go get this over with." Dianna scoffed but didn't say anything.

The group walked to the little Israeli restaurant (leave it to Dianna Puckerman to find the one kosher place within a mile) right around the corner, in little chunks. Brittany, Mike, Santana, and Tina were all walking with Rebecca in the middle of them, in a big stupid line that was in the way of anyone who dared to walk on the sidewalk. Puck ended up stuck between Rachel and his mother which wasn't exactly ideal. He couldn't exactly grab Rachel's ass when his mom was walking right beside him. But, he had to admit, Rachel's hand in his felt pretty damn good. And she looked pretty awesome in his jacket. Then again, aside from no clothes at all, he always liked her in his clothes.

"So Rachel, how have your rehearsals been going? I've read online that there's already talk of a few more Tony awards for you. That must be exciting." Rachel smiled into the night and looked around Noah so she could see to speak to Dianna.

"Rehearsals are going great. The cast is amazing and I'm still having a lot of fun. I can't wait until opening night. It actually makes me a little sad that the show is only running for a short time." Puck couldn't help grinning. She was living her dream. He respected that about her. "I try to stay away from the gossip blogs online though. I'd hate to get my hopes up for something only to have them shot down." That made him a little worried. What if he waited too long to tell her how he felt? Or if he picked the wrong time? Or said the complete wrong thing and made her think he didn't feel that way at all about her? This love shit was hard. "Noah, are you okay?" Puck shook himself out of his thoughts and looked down at Rachel's worried gaze.

"Yeah babe, I'm fine." Rachel wasn't convinced but she dropped it as they arrived at the restaurant. Noah took her coat off for her and held the door open. The group was standing just inside the entrance and moved to make room for them as they walked in. The hostess seated them at their table. Thank god for reservations because the place was packed.

When they all got situated and ordered their food, the awkward silence that Rachel had anticipated didn't happen. Everyone fell easily into mingling conversations about everything imaginable. Tina engaged Dianna and Noah in conversation, Rebecca seemed enthralled by the portfolio Santana brought with her, and she was having a very nice conversation about hip-hop versus jazz dance training with Mike and Brittany. It wasn't long before she felt Noah's palm under the table ghost over her thigh. As the waiter sat their plates in front of them, she allowed herself to steal a glance at him. She wasn't surprised at all to see the way his lips were pinched up in a smirk. She quickly schooled her features as his fingers continued to drift higher on her leg and drew in a long deep breath. Because of the denim, he of course couldn't exactly reach his destination. That didn't faze him in the slightest. Rachel gripped her fork tighter as Noah used his index finger to press against the seam of her jeans. She actually knew what he was trying (_read: succeeding_) to do and closed her legs even tighter. Rachel cleared her throat and gave him a pointed look. He got the picture and pulled his hand from between her legs, but it remained on the top of her thigh. She thought it odd that he was able to take such an inappropriate action and turn it into a comforting one in mere seconds.

But there was no way she was going to let him off the hook that easily. He'd attempted something very inappropriate not only in front of their friends but in the company of his mother and sister as well. One thing she'd learned from Noah is that you have to fight fire with fire. Rachel waited until Noah forked an obnoxious amount of his dessert into his mouth before slipping her hand over his thigh. She continued her conversation with Mike and Brittany but she could hear the way his breathing had sped up. He didn't possess near the acting abilities that Rachel had so she knew there was no way he could hide his _frustration_ for very long. In her peripheral, his grip on his fork was becoming white-knuckle in strength and she wanted to laugh. To up the ante, Rachel slowly slid her palm up his thigh. She applied the slightest bit of pressure until she reached the bend where his leg connected to his torso. Rachel heard him release a quivering breath of relief as he tried to jump back into his argument with Tina and Dianna over who made better latkes. Perfect. Deftly, in true _Ninjew_ fashion, she slipped her fingertips over the zipper of his jeans. With just that small amount of force she exerted on his 'package', Noah's voice went up two octaves. Surprisingly, before she could press her tiny hand against him anymore, Noah grabbed her hand out from under the table and feebly announced to everyone that there was a painting in the restaurant's foyer that he wanted to show her.

His grip on her hand was firm but not painful. It took Rachel two strides to make up for every one that he took and soon they were in the foyer. Rachel put on her best 'what did I do' face and said, "So, where is this painting you wanted to show me Noah?"

"You can't do shit like that Rach." His voice was low and gravelly and his breath smelled like chocolate and toothpaste, a surprisingly tantalizing combination. Rachel stood her ground and laughed at him.

"What can't I do, Noah? Touch you in the exact same manner with which you touched me? Elicit those feelings that are usually reserved for the privacy of our apartments? Make you _hard_? Now I don't really think that's fair when _you_ initiated contact in the first place. Do you?" Noah placed his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, that chocolate toothpaste scent mixing with _his_ scent and clouding her thoughts, and grinned.

"Aw babe, of course you can do all that stuff. But my mom is right there beside me. It's a whole lot easier for her to realize what you're doing to me than it is for her to realize what I'm doing to you." Rachel crossed her arms in a huff and stomped her foot. "Don't do that pouty thing you do when you don't get your way. Besides, you did your touching in retaliation. I did mine as a nice gesture." He waggled his eyebrows in that absurdly attractive way he did (Who was she kidding? Practically everything the man did was absurdly attractive.) and hugged her close.

"I'll give you a 'gesture'," Rachel mumbled against his chest only to feel it rumble with laughter. They stood there for a second before she felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He reached in and pulled it out, hitting a few buttons to read the message someone had sent him. She watched as his face colored with a light blush. "What's wrong?" Noah just turned his phone around so that she could read the screen. It was a text message from Rebecca that read _*when you two get done screwing around outside, could you quit doing it under the table?*_ Noah started laughing at the look of sheer horror that colored her features as she read his sister's text message. "She _knew_? Rebecca knew the whole time. What if your mother saw too? This is horrible Noah. Stop laughing right now." Rachel watched him pull the phone back and start clicking away on its keyboard. A few seconds later, the phone vibrated again and he smirked at the screen.

"Becca said Ma didn't see anything. See, we're all good. No worries babe." Rachel took the phone from his hand and read the message. _*ma wasn't paying attention. But jumping on each other would've been more subtle.*_ She growled under her breath and shoved the phone back at his chest.

"I am now enforcing a 'no touching' policy for the rest of the night effective now. I will not take any more chances on your mother or your sister catching us in any compromising positions whatsoever." To that, Noah just wrapped his arms tighter around her midsection.

"Oh there's no way in hell that's happening baby. It's like, physically impossible for me to not touch you. I just can't do it. You're too fucking hot. And don't even try to tell me you can handle not touching my smoking hot bod. You're not even trying to get away right now." He pushed her against the wall and darted his tongue across her lips. "Do you really want me to stop Rachel?" Noah squeezed her hips hard enough to make her gasp and dove in. Rachel marveled at the way his lips fused to hers so perfectly. Then he moved his mouth across her jaw and nipped at her neck, tracing a vein back up to her ear. "Tell me to stop Rach. Just say the word and I'll leave you alone for tonight." He flicked his tongue across her earlobe and whispered again, "tell me stop." Rachel sighed at the tingling sensation she felt in her head, her hands, her stomach, at the apex of her thighs, all the way down to her toes.

"Don't," she moaned softly, "don't ever stop." She felt him smile against her neck before he pulled away. He stared at her for a moment and Rachel swore that she could feel his eyes warm her skin. It was the most intense look he'd ever given her and she was certain that she'd never felt the same way about anyone before.

"God I can't wait to get you in bed again," he whispered with a smile. Rachel laughed before she pressed her lips to his in a rush. She knew they'd been out there for a little while and it wouldn't be long before someone came looking for them. They had only moments before interruption was inevitable so she was going to kiss the life out of him while she had the chance. Rachel slid her tongue across his lips and pulled him closer. She wanted to feel his body connect to hers again and this was the _only_ borderline appropriate way for that to happen. But the way he left her feeling like her skin was humming every time he touched her was just another bittersweet reminder that kissing him would never be enough. She wanted all of him, always.

Noah closed his lips over hers one last time before he reached down and grabbed her hand. After securely lacing their fingers together, he opened the door and they walked back to their table. When they got back to their seats, everyone looked up at them like they were expecting a play-by-play. Noah just smirked as he pulled Rachel's chair out for her to sit down and mouthed over her head so everyone could see, "fuck you all."

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Later that night, after he hung up with Rachel on the phone and was getting ready to go to sleep, Puck heard his sister pad into the living room. He knew it was Becca because his mom never bothered to be quiet about anything. That's why he was pretty sure that if he had any other siblings, Becca would still be his favorite. He sat back up on the couch and scooted over so she could sit down. "Eavesdropping like ma," he questioned her. Rebecca blushed a little at being caught and he placed his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry kid, I'm used to it. I never had any privacy until I moved out here anyway." The two chuckled at that and she leaned her head over on his shoulder. After a second or two had passed and she still hadn't said anything, he figured he might as well prod just a little. "So, what's up?" The girl looked up at him and smiled.

"I never thanked you for taking me to the park yesterday. I miss you back home. Ma drives me crazy all the fucking time now and _I'm_ the good kid. She's right though, it wouldn't kill you to call once in a while. At least text _me_ dude." Puck laughed and playfully shoved Rebecca over on the couch. When she sat back up, her eyes were shining just a little. "You've changed you know."

"The fuck are you talking about? I'm a badass Becca, that shit can't be changed." Rebecca laughed and shook her head.

"I didn't know badass and dumbass were synonyms. That's odd, I should call Webster and have that corrected immediately. I meant that you're just different, since Rachel. You're not a total douche anymore, and mom seems more proud of you now than she was when Chase the Morning opened and turned a profit all in its first month." Puck shook his head and chuckled.

"I should've known that landing a hot Jewish chick would get that woman's approval. I would've tried it in high school but the one chick from Temple that was even halfway doable was Rabbi Wisenberg's daughter and she practically had a fucking chastity belt on." Rebecca started giggling about the irony of a 'fucking chastity belt' and replied,

"She got married y'know. Last year to some goy she met online. You should have seen mom that week. She kept saying that I could marry anyone I wanted to as long as they're Jewish. But guess what she told me last week before you broke up with Rachel." Puck didn't say anything but waited for her to continue. "She said that as long as she gets one set of perfect Jewish grandbabies from one of us, the other one can be with whoever they want. That's why I said yes when Nathaniel asked me out on a date actually. I pretty much thought I was going to have to bear the brunt of the pure Jewish grandbaby load all by myself. Well, that and the fact that I really like him." Puck felt his blood run cold.

"Wait a second, that shithead didn't knock you up did he?" Rebecca laughed so hard that Puck put his hand over her mouth so she wouldn't wake up their mom. He didn't really think it was that funny.

"No stupid, I know all about protection. No worries there. I just meant that it didn't look like you were going to be having little Puckerman spawn anytime soon so I was a little worried that I would have to give CJM the grandbabies she's been dreaming of since you started sneaking girls in and out of the house at all hours of the night." Puck laughed and leaned back on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. Rebecca did the same. "So have you and Rachel talked about babies or anything?" Puck coughed a little before turning his head to see that his sister was dead serious. The crazy in her blood was shining through and it scared the shit out of him.

"God no, why would you ask that? Did Ma put you up to this?" Rebecca nodded her head sheepishly and bit her lip.

"Yeah, but I kinda wanna know too. Why haven't you guys talked about that yet?" He was really starting to regret letting himself get lead into this line of questioning by his little sister of all people! This could not be happening to him.

"Because we just haven't. I mean, we've only been together for a few months. That kind of thing is something that people who are getting married are supposed to talk about. Besides, that would just freak her out and I can't lose her again. The last thing she would expect to hear from me is talking about having kids." Rebecca just rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah Noah, every girl's worst nightmare is her boyfriend telling her that he wants a future with her. That'll send her running for the hills for sure. You're such a dumbass sometimes. I never pegged you for someone who would play it safe. Come on dude, you're a Puckerman! Nut up and tell her how you feel." Puck eyed the girl suspiciously for a few seconds. Kid didn't crack.

"What do you know about how I feel," he asked her. She rolled her eyes again and brought her knees up to her chest.

"I know that the brother I had last time I visited wouldn't have spent two _days_ with a girl unless he just got too damn lazy to get out of her bed. The brother I've always known preached about never being tied down to one woman because one woman wasn't enough. The brother I've always known was kind of a fucktard douche-bag who needed to be castrated." She laughed when she repeated Mike's words for a second time and smiled. "But the brother I'm looking at right now is in a committed relationship. This brother screwed up beyond belief and then, instead of getting drunk and in bed with someone else, he immediately fixed his screw up. And you know, I loved the other brother from before a lot. But this brother, this badass with a heart, I really love him. And I know that Rachel is mostly responsible for _this_ brother. You keep saying that you can't lose her again. All I'm saying is that maybe you should do something to ensure that you don't lose her. That doesn't mean go out and buy a ring or anything but, you could at least tell her you love her. Don't try to deny it either because I talked to Tina and Mike to confirm my suspicions." Puck grumbled a little. He wasn't sure how he felt about his sister knowing about his feelings for Rachel.

"You don't get it Becca. What if I mess it up? What if, when I try to tell her that I love her, I say the wrong thing? Or I pick the wrong time? Or something else goes wrong? What then?" Rebecca smiled at her hopeless brother and rubbed her hand over his shoulder comfortingly, albeit with a tinge of condescension.

"Noah, wouldn't it be better to mess up telling her that you love her, in the wrong way, at the wrong time, while something else is going wrong, than to not tell her at all?" She let her words sink in for a moment before stretching her legs back out and standing up. She walked around the couch and leaned over the back to kiss him on the cheek. "Good night bro. See you in the morning." Puck listened for the bedroom door to shut before he let out a breath and stretched out on the couch. He couldn't wait to have his bed back. Without Rachel in his arms, the fucking couch was hell to sleep on.

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Puck stood in JFK Airport, bags in hand, watching as Rachel hugged his mom and sister goodbye. The women had pretty much hogged Rachel ever since he'd given them the tickets to the play that morning before they all left. Something had happened to the theatre so rehearsals had been rescheduled for that night which meant that Rachel was able to come along to see his family off. Their flight was boarding in fifteen minutes so he knew he had about four minutes and ten seconds before his mother started blubbering. Dianna walked over to him with a smile on her face and wrapped her arms around his neck for about the fiftieth time that morning.

"My sweet boy, I suppose I'll see you again in a week. Don't worry this time, we'll make sure to make hotel arrangements." Puck laughed but couldn't help being very very thankful for that. He hugged the woman and heard her sniffle.

"Come on Ma, you _just_ said you'll be back in a week. What's with the tears?" Dianna turned her head to see her daughter still speaking with Rachel and then turned back to her son.

"She's perfect Noah." Puck looked up at the same time Rachel did and smiled at her.

"I know that Ma." Dianna seemed pleased with that response and grinned up at him.

"You just let me know when you need Bubbe's engagement ring and I'll have it ready for you honey." Puck cringed at the thought of that.

"Oh god Ma, I would never give that ugly old thing to Rach. It's huge, gaudy, and just totally wrong for her. I'll buy Rach's ring whenever…you just played me, didn't you woman?" Dianna just smiled wide, like a bird-eating cat grin, or whatever that expression is, and hugged him even tighter than before.

"Yes I did honey but it's good to know where your head is." Puck could hear the cogs in her head turning from his little slip but he didn't regret it, not really. Besides, in just a few moments, he wouldn't have to see his mother again for a whole week and then after that it would be an even longer span of time before they saw each other again. That thought, coupled with the fact that he could get Rachel alone again, had him smiling like a fool so much that he didn't even care that he'd just sealed his fate. It was guaranteed now that his mother would be calling every day just to make sure he and Rachel were still together. Funny thing though, that didn't bother him so much.

The announcer came of the P.A. system saying that their flight was boarding and they had to get to the gate. Rebecca ran over and gave him one last hug before grabbing hers and Dianna's carry-on bags from him. As soon as they were out of sight, he turned and looked at Rachel.

"Are they really gone," he asked. Just then, the final boarding call was made and there was no sight of his mother or sister anywhere. "They're gone! Fuck yes, let's go!" Rachel rolled her eyes at his excitement but laughed lightly.

"Give me just a minute Noah. I need to go to the restroom." Puck let her go and went to sit down on one of the hard benches lining the wall. He was there for a second when this young girl, probably a little younger than Rebecca, walked up to him.

"Excuse me sir, was that Rachel Berry you were talking to?" He smiled up at the girl and nodded.

"Yep, that's her. You a fan?" The girl sat down on the other end of the bench he was seated on so that they wouldn't be directly beside each other.

"Are you kidding? She's my idol. I know everything about her. I've seen everything she's ever been in. She's incredible. You look familiar too. Are you her bodyguard?" Puck laughed at the girl's assumption and remembered a time not too long ago when he would have taken offense to that comment. Instead, he just flexed his arms with a grin and replied,

"I definitely guard her body." The girl blushed deeply and then he saw the light bulb turn on in her mind.

"Oh my god you're her boyfriend. I can't believe I didn't recognize you before. You've been pictured with her so many times. I guess I'm always just so focused on her that I don't really see the other people in the photos." Puck had to laugh at the severe case of ladywood this kid had for his girlfriend when she continued. "Do you think she would sign my notebook? I've always wanted to meet her in person." At that point, Puck saw Rachel out of the corner of his eye leaving the bathroom.

"Why don't you ask her?" He stood up and met the questioning look Rachel had leveled on him with a grin. "Rach, this is, uh, sorry what was your name?" The girl just stared at Rachel, unblinking and unmoving. It was kind of freaky. But then she shook herself out of her stupor and replied,

"Haley, my name is Haley." Puck nodded and looked back at Rachel.

"Right, this is Haley and she's your biggest fan." Rachel smiled at Haley and offered her hand. Once more, she just stared, awestruck and frozen in her spot. Puck whistled and snapped his fingers in front of her face, getting him an elbow to the ribs from Rachel but he didn't care. The snapping woke the kid up again and she grabbed on to Rachel's hand like it was a crown jewel. However, her voice still wasn't really working so Puck started again. "Okay Rach, this is your biggest fan Haley and she just got through telling me how she's seen everything you've ever been in and that you're her idol. And she also wanted to know if you would sign her notebook." Puck snickered again that the girl hadn't stopped shaking Rachel's hand. "I swear she was talking a second ago. No lie." Rachel stepped a little closer and smiled.

"Um Haley, did you want me to sign your notebook?" Haley then dropped Rachel's hand and started digging around in her purse for the notebook. When she found it and a pen, she thrust them both in Rachel's direction. Puck looked over her shoulder as she wrote 'Dear Haley, so glad I got to meet my biggest fan. Love, Rachel Berry'. She drew a giant star, that was 'her thing', next to her name and handed the book and pen back to Haley. Haley still didn't move a muscle. Puck whistled again and she was shoving her notebook back into her bag so fast, you'd think someone was trying to steal it from her. She shook Rachel's hand again with this huge smile on her face and walked off in the direction she'd come from. When she was way out of earshot, Puck burst into laughter.

"Okay babe, I've met a lot of your fans, but that was definitely the weirdest one yet." Rachel looked off the direction she'd disappeared to and nodded her head.

"It was like she was catatonic. I wonder if we should have the airport security check her out just to make sure she's not going to pass out or something. I've never seen anyone react like that before." Puck just placed his arm around her shoulder and shook his head.

"Nah babe, she'll be fine. Remember when you made me watch that show about the crazy king who had sex a lot?" Rachel turned and rolled her eyes.

"I did not _make_ you watch 'The Tudors'. I simply mentioned that there would be gratuitous sex and you assumed that I was watching porn. Your point is?" Puck laughed again and said,

"Okay well remember whenever somebody would meet the king and they'd get all starstruck." Rachel nodded her head and he continued, "Rach, you're like her king. Well, queen or whatever. Point is you just made that girl's whole life probably." She rolled her eyes at him and laughed. "Come on babe, let's get out of here. We need to re-christen my bed since my family's gone now. I've been dying to try out those handcuffs again anyway." Rachel gasped softly and he watched her chest rise and fall for a moment as her eyes darkened.

"Oh thank god! If we hurry, we can get back to your apartment in time for a few rounds before I have to be at rehearsals tonight. Or just one amazing round, whichever you prefer Noah." And right there, Puck almost blurted out those three little words. But he stopped himself because he didn't want the first time he said those words out loud to her to be in fucking JFK Airport right after he'd just said he wanted to cuff her and fuck her brains out. It had to be romantic and sweet. He would figure it out, and when he did it would epic. He just knew it. So instead of saying anything in reply, he tilted her chin up and kissed her long and slow, giving her a taste of what was to come once they got back to his apartment. They pulled away from each other when they both heard a few catcalls from people around them so Puck just took her hand and lead her outside.

When she scooted up close to him in the back seat of the taxi and placed her head on his shoulder, he couldn't help smiling. And when Rachel giggled softly and asked, "Is it odd that I've missed you this week," he shook his head and said "no", because he never wanted to miss her again.

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**a/n2: also, if you haven't read my latest smuckleberry one-shot "Cowboy Up", please go do that! Also, I've been slack on the review replies but I promise that I will get on that ASAP! Love you guys!**


	14. Chapter 14

**a/n: Hello everyone! Smuckleberry is back and I hope everyone likes it. I hope everyone listens to "Sherpa" because I picked it for a very special reason. Mark Salling likes Victor Wooten and Victor Wooten is the bassist for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. The song is beautiful and I love it. Anyway, I don't own the song, Glee, or West Side Story. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter and please please please review!**

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Rachel slumped down on her couch and sipped at her lemon honey tea. The play was opening tomorrow night and she needed to rest her vocal chords as much as possible. Santana had left her a message when she got out of rehearsals telling her that she would be staying with Tina that night so that Rachel would be able to relax before her big night. But then she'd gotten Noah's text message saying that he was coming over to see her and she just couldn't say no to him, despite the fact that she had a sneaking suspicion that there was no way 'relaxing' would be on his itinerary for the night. She didn't care.

A loud knock was heard on her door and she got up from the couch. When Rachel opened the door and saw him standing there, she had to control herself. Squealing and jumping in to his perfect arms would probably just embarrass the both of them but it seemed like a really great idea. Noah was wearing an old Pantera t-shirt and a pair of old blue jeans. The low lighting in the hallway shadowed his high cheekbones and jaw, making him look so soft. "Noah," she whispered and moved to let him inside. As he stepped into the apartment, he gave her funny look and leaned down.

"Why are you whispering," he mocked her. Rachel hit him on the shoulder and laughed lightly.

"I'm saving my voice for tomorrow night. I've told you that before." Noah nodded his head and kissed her for a moment before he grinned at her.

"I knew that. I just figured you would start doing that tomorrow. So I guess my plan to have you screaming my name a few times tonight isn't gonna happen. That's alright, I'll make sure to keep you real quiet." His sinful grin warmed her to her very core and she loved it. She slipped her hand into his and pulled him back over to the couch. She pushed the play button on the remote to continue the movie she'd started earlier and giggled at the groan Noah released when he realized that it was 'Funny Girl'. It was her 'night before opening night' tradition, a Babs movie marathon. However, in all her years' worth of nights before opening nights, she'd never had a boyfriend before. She usually had her marathon with Santana even though Santana despised the movies. But sitting there with Noah, knowing that he was watching a movie he didn't exactly hate but didn't really care for, just for her, made her melt against him.

Noah placed his arm around Rachel's shoulders as she leaned into his body. She sighed contentedly as she was wrapped in his scent. Her muscles were tense from rehearsals and she just wanted to curl up in Noah's arms and not move at all. Suddenly Noah's fingers started squeezing her shoulder and it hurt enough to make her whimper. Noah turned his head with a worried look in his eyes and rubbed a soothing hand over the spot he'd just touched.

"You okay baby? Did I hurt you?" Rachel gave him a pained smile and shook her head.

"I'm just sore from rehearsals. And I've been feeling a little stressed since opening night is tomorrow. Nerves always sneak up on me at the last moment." At that, Noah moved his hand across her shoulder blades and pressed gently. She felt the knot in her neck loosen slightly and rolled her head back. "That feels so good Noah. Do it again." He pressed the heel of his palm just a little lower that time and Rachel's body arched of its own accord.

"Babe you got a lot of tension in your back and neck. I can help with that if you want me to." Rachel shot him a look of warning and he raised his hands to show his innocence, despite the grin that remained on his face. "I'm talking about a massage babe. I give a kickass massage. How bout it? I promise you'll feel better." A massage sounded absolutely divine to Rachel and she knew he was good with his hands. She slowly nodded her head and watched Noah pick the remote up to stop the movie. He pulled her up from the couch gently and led her down the hallway to her bedroom. Rachel sat down on her bed to wait as he fished his iPod out of his pocket and plugged it into her docking station. Soon, she heard the song "Sherpa" from Béla Fleck and the Flecktones filtering the room and smiled. She knew how much he liked Victor Wooten and, truth be told, she was really developing a taste for it too. The song was very relaxing but the look in Noah's eyes when he turned around made her blood heat up.

He motioned with his head for her to scoot back on the bed which she did eagerly. Rachel sat up on her knees when he came around to the side of the bed and allowed him to slip her camisole over her head. Noah's eyes darkened just a little bit more when her breasts were revealed and she could see him restraining himself. Of her own volition, Rachel slid her tiny shorts down her legs with her panties and she smiled up at him, fully expecting him to wrap his arms around her and ravish her body, the prospect of which sent sensuous tremors through her wearied body. But instead, Noah just ticked his head again and said in a low voice, "lay down on your stomach." Rachel did as she was told and flattened her body on the bed. After a second, she felt the bed shift with his weight and he gently nudged her legs apart to situate himself between them. She released a throaty sigh when he leaned over and his calloused fingers came to rest on her shoulders. As he went to work, she could feel the tension in her body melting away. Noah pressed his fingers into her back so tenderly that she wanted to cry. Not because he was causing her pain but from the affection she could feel in his touch.

He leaned over just a little farther and swept her hair to the side before placing an open-mouthed kiss against her skin. Rachel felt his thumbs skim down and press softly into a knot in her spine. She unintentionally released a small moan she'd been holding back when he hit the spot and heard Noah chuckle quietly in response. While his thumbs worked at the knot in the center of her back, his other fingers played at her sides, caressing the soft skin found there. "You good," he asked needlessly, and chuckled again when Rachel hummed in the affirmative. Rachel felt him going lower and when he reached the small of her back, kneading it with the heel of his palm, she felt like she'd just died and gone to heaven. Rachel almost jumped when he moved his hands over her butt and lightly rubbed the backs of her thighs. That was a spot he'd discovered one night that drove her wild and he rarely missed a chance to utilize it. Rachel's now relaxed muscles tightened once more when his fingers dipped to her inner thigh and squeezed. He ran his nails down her skin making her breath hitch in her throat. She yearned for him to keep going higher, to feel his fingers sink into another part of her body. Rachel didn't realize the sounds she was emitting until Noah trailed his hands back up her body and quipped, "I thought you weren't supposed to talk tonight?" Rachel giggled and rolled her eyes. Propping herself up on her arms, she turned her head around to look at him. One corner of his mouth was turned up in that irresistible smirk of his and his face was defiantly unshaven. Somehow, his lips looked so much softer with the scruff around them and she grasped that he hadn't kissed her near enough since walking through her door. But before she could move to rectify that, he slid back down her body and resumed his gentle massaging (read: torturing) of her thighs.

Rachel bit her lip and growled in frustration. Every time she would feel his fingers inch just slightly in the direction of where she needed him most, her windpipe would close up in anticipation. After the third time his fingers 'accidentally' slid against her folds, she groaned and rolled over. Mentally reminding herself not to raise her voice, she stared up at his somewhat surprised features. However, before she could say anything, he lowered his body over hers and kissed her with the same slow passion she would never become fully accustomed to. She felt Noah slip his hand into her hair and firmly hold her mouth against his. She moaned softly against his lips when his tongue delved even deeper. Rachel pushed her hips against his, an action that instantly reminded her that their ratio of clothes to skin was drastically unbalanced, and felt his erection straining beneath the denim of his jeans. Rachel allowed her hands to tug at the fastener, sighing contentedly when it opened with little difficulty, and pushed them down his legs. That action distracted Noah long enough that he pulled away to yank them completely off. She took the opportunity to press her lips against the hollow in his neck and bite down lightly on his collarbone. Rachel smoothed her hands over the defined ridges of his pectoral muscles and smiled through her lowered lashes. Noah pulled his t-shirt over his head and grinned down at her. His smirk told her that something snarky was about to come out of his mouth so Rachel reached up and pulled him down. Before their lips met again, she whispered, "Shut up Noah."

Rachel gasped into his mouth when he slid into her body. The stress-relieving qualities of the earlier massage were nothing compared to feel of Noah's skin against hers. When he raised her arms above her head and held them there, she was reminded of a couple days prior when he'd brought the handcuffs back out. Only that time, she was the one bound to the headboard instead of him. Noah lowered his head to her breast to swipe his tongue over her puckered nipple. Rachel arched her back, effectively pushing her chest against his mouth and sheathing him deeper inside her. Noah let her go and positioned his hands above her shoulders for leverage. Rachel clenched her muscles around him right as he pulled out making both of them cry out. Noah leaned down and blew a small puff of air across her heated skin before kissing her neck. The small action set her body on fire as she gripped his arms. Rachel closed her eyes to let the feel of his body wash over her but Noah would have none of that. "Look at me Rachel," he whispered. Her eyes flew open and locked with his. He brushed his thumb across her lips as he cupped her chin and held her gaze. She couldn't look away from him, nor did she want to. When he angled his body so that his pelvic bone brushed against her clit each time he thrust, Rachel bit her lip to keep from completely ruining her vocal chords. Her hips rose to meet his and she felt her body tense up on the cusp of her climax. Sensing, as he _always_ did, how close she was, Noah rocked his hips faster as he crooked her leg over his forearm. The action spread her wider, allowing him inside her even deeper with every frenzied thrust.

Noah kissed along her jaw, gently sucking her earlobe between his teeth and biting down. Rachel's hiss at the sensation was quickly followed by a small whimper of pleasure mixed with frustration. "Say my name," he told her. "Baby, just say my name and I'll give you what you want." He thrust again and pushed his tongue past her lips, plundering her mouth in the same manner his dick was ravaging her body. All movement stopped and he pulled back to meet her curious gaze. "Say my name and I'll give you _everything_," he whispered against her heated skin. Rachel's nails left marks in his skin as she nodded her head. All thoughts she possessed in her mind had a thick haze of desire covering them, all but one.

"Noah," she murmured, so soft he almost couldn't to discern it from their heavy breathing. But he caught it. He slammed into her sex with an abandon she'd never felt before. Rachel tightened her grip on him, in every sense, and said it again. "Noah," louder than before. It felt good to say, to yell, but she knew which words would feel even better. "Noah I love", but before the words were finished falling from her lips, the blinding light, the fireworks, the ecstasy, all rushed over her body at once and she couldn't focus on anything but Noah. Just Noah. The sheer force of that orgasm, coupled with the sensation of his throbbing member emptying inside her, threw her straight into the waves of another one. Her body shook violently and she was positive that her eyes rolled back into her head. Noah continued to rock with her throughout the waves of bliss that kept lapping at her nervous system. She felt a single tremor as he pulled out of her and a final one when he placed his hand over her heart. With a happy sigh, Rachel tugged him against her so they were spooning and forgot all about her earlier unfinished sentence. When Noah's warm strong arms encased her body, she could feel the quick beating of his heart against her back. It took her a moment to realize that it was beating in time with hers. She turned her head back to look at him only to find him staring back at her with a satiated smile adorning his chiseled face. Noah flicked a thumb over one of her nipples and said,

"That massage _definitely_ had a happy ending." He chuckled lowly as she playfully slapped his hand. Noah hugged her tighter and pressed his lips to her temple. His mouth warmed her skin, her heart, and clouded her mind. "Big day tomorrow babe. You're gonna knock 'em dead, or break a leg, whatever those expressions are. You'll be perfect. I know." Rachel wanted to say 'thank you' but he cut her off with a soft kiss and a murmured "go to sleep Rach". So she snuggled up closer to him and did just that.

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Puck rolled his eyes for the thousandth time since picking his mother and sister up from the hotel. Rebecca was being pretty cool about the whole situation but Dianna, well she was going insane! She was acting like she'd never seen a fucking Broadway show before! Granted, he'd never taken her to opening night of a Broadway show and he'd never been in a serious relationship with the lead in said Broadway show before but still. She could at least _try_ to calm the fuck down. He could only thank god that this time the Puckerman women were in New York, they were staying in a hotel and not his apartment.

The cab pulled up about a block away from the theatre. That was as close as they could get on opening night. He paid the driver and got out of the car, waiting for Rebecca to step onto the sidewalk so he could help their mother out. He sighed as both women slipped their arms through his and they began walking down the sidewalk towards the theatre. They were about forty-five minutes early but Rachel had suggested that they get there early to insure they got to their seats. Mike had already texted him to let him know that the rest of the group, Santana, Tina, Mike, and Brittany, was waiting outside for them. He couldn't wait to get the night over with. He and Mike had gone through hell that week trying to get everything in place for the after-party at the club. Turns out that Jason Reid had planned from the beginning to rent Chase the Morning for a party to be held in honor of the premier even before Puck had even met Rachel. Puck liked to think that, had Rachel not come to his club to celebrate that night, they still would've met at the eventual after-party. It was fate.

Suddenly, Rebecca flew off of his arm and took off running in the direction of Tina and Santana. Puck looked at his mother, half expecting her to do the same thing but she didn't. Instead, she looked up at him and smiled.

"So Noah, have you talked to Rachel today?" Puck groaned, already not in the mood for any questions about the progression of his relationship with what his mother considered to be the perfect woman. Not that he would argue that point but he hated discussing anything with Dianna. She always managed to get more out of him than he wanted to divulge.

"I talked to her this morning when we woke up but she had to leave early for last minute rehearsals. She called me at lunch and we talked some then. So yeah, I talked to Rach today." Dianna just laughed at his agitation and decided to push her son just a little further. You know, for her own amusement. It was one of the joys of motherhood she rather valued.

"Have you told her that you're in love with her yet?" His response caught her off-guard, not to mention completely messed up the irritation game she wanted to play.

"Nope, but when I do, it's gonna be awesome. She doesn't have a show next Thursday so I made reservations at Per Se for dinner. I'm going to tell her then." Puck smirked at his mom, happy at the stunned look on her face, and chuckled a little. "What? I can be all romantic and shit. Have a little faith in your offspring Ma." Before she could say anything, he handed her off to Tina and stood over beside Brittany and Mike. As they all walked through the doors of the theatre, he saw a familiar face behind the security desk. The old asshole security guard that he'd met on the day he'd rather forget looked up as they walked past. Puck knew by the look that the geezer shot him that he definitely remembered who he was. He couldn't help himself as he raised his hand and waved somewhat obnoxiously at the man. (He really couldn't remember the dude's name. Bill? Jim? James? Asshole? Yeah, that one sounded about right.) Asshole's mouth dropped open a little bit and Puck laughed out loud before he could stop himself. It was fucking awesome.

The usher led their group down to their seats and Puck realized that they were pretty damn good seats. He wasn't sure how many strings Rachel had had to pull to get _seven_ _kickass_ tickets on opening night to one of the most anticipated revivals in theatre history (so he still read a couple blogs but at least he steered clear of the ones that said anything about their relationship). But then he thought about how much Jason would totally go straight for Rachel and realized that she probably didn't have to pull too many strings. Once everybody sat down, Puck took his cell phone out to check the time and turned it off once he saw that it was still about twenty minutes before curtain. As he was slipping it back into his pocket, he saw Jason walking up the aisle in their direction. Puck thought that was just a little weird because isn't the director supposed to like, be backstage on opening night?

"Puck, thank god you're here. Rachel has been asking for you and I'm starting to get a little worried that she might not go on tonight." Puck stood up at that and stared at the other man.

"What do you mean she might not go on? Is she nervous? What's wrong?" Rachel was uber-professional and he knew how excited she was over this role. There was no way in hell that she wouldn't go on. But the worried expression on the young director's face was a little troubling.

"I don't know honestly. She's been fine all day and then when I went to her dressing room for a costume check, the poor thing was shaking and she just kept asking for you. I don't know what else to do. Can you please come back to her dressing room and talk to her?" Puck nodded his head and followed Jason down the aisle and up the steps that lead to the stage. Just on the other side of the curtain, Jason took off down a very short hallway with only two doors. One said Austin DeFore "Tony", the other said Rachel Berry "Maria". Jason knocked on the door softly and said, "Rachel honey, I've got someone for you sweetie." After a second, the door opened a little and Puck heard Rachel's voice.

"Noah?" Puck pushed through the door into the dressing room. He didn't like how vulnerable she'd sounded just then.

"Baby I'm right here, what's wrong?" Looking at her finally, something was off. She was dressed in this old-school pink dress and her hair was half up with little curls at the ends. Rachel looked like she was hiding something. Puck heard the door shut behind him and then all of a sudden, a smile broke out over her face. Puck's brow furrowed. "Okay what's going on? Jason said you were shaking and shit. He was really fucking worried about you Rach." Rachel just shook her head and placed her arms on the back of his neck.

"Jason's fine. We had to come up with something that would get you back here in a hurry." Puck cocked his head to the side, confusion setting in.

"What are you talking about? You go on stage in like fifteen minutes Rachel. Tell me why Jason came out to my seat, looking worried as hell, and told me to come back here to talk to you." Rachel mumbled something under her breath but then replied,

"Because I asked him to. That's why. I have something that I feel is very important to tell you and I didn't think you would come unless you thought something was wrong. I've given this quite a lot of thought and, to be honest, at first I was content to just let it happen when it was ready to happen but now I'm not and I really need to tell you before I go on that stage tonight." Puck shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around the insanely fast run-on sentence she'd just spouted out and coming up totally blank.

"English please." Rachel took a deep breath and gently pushed him down onto the couch against the wall.

"I love you Noah." Puck froze in his spot and stared up at her. She shifted from one foot to the other, nervous at his silence. "Could you please say something?"

"Um, you're really messing shit up right now." He knew he'd messed up big time because of the look on her face. "Fuck, I didn't mean it that way. It's just that," Rachel held her hand up to stop him.

"Don't Noah. I tell you that I love you and your response is that I'm messing things up. Thanks a lot." Her eyes started to well up and she went to turn away from him. Puck jumped up from the couch and grabbed her shoulders so she had to face him.

"Hey, I said I didn't mean it like that. You weren't supposed to say it first." Rachel dabbed at her eyes and replied with a hurt expression,

"What is that supposed to mean?" Puck scratched his head and breathed out before answering.

"It means that next Thursday, I was going to take you out to a fancy restaurant, we were gonna have an awesomely overpriced dinner, and then over dessert I was gonna tell you that I am pretty much head over ass for you. But then you go and say it first so yeah, I'd say you messed up my plans a little bit." Rachel looked up at him with the tiniest of smiles on her face. Puck breathed out slowly and took her hands in his between them. "Can we try this again?" She nodded her head and bit her lip.

"Since I know it'll bother you, I want it to go on record that I said it the first and second times." Puck remembered back to that night in the club when he thought he'd heard her say it but he hadn't wanted to bring it up in case he'd been hearing things. He chuckled just as the lights flashed off and then back on. He knew that meant that she had to get on stage.

"I guess I can deal with that. Rach, I love you." Rachel made a tiny noise that sounded like it could have been a squeal if it'd been louder and smiled.

"I love you too Noah." Puck smiled really wide. He hadn't realized how much hearing her say it, when he was prepared for it of course, was really fucking awesome! He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, gently because he was afraid he would mess up her make-up, and found that he couldn't stop smiling. Rachel seemed to be having the same problem. Puck pulled his lips away from hers and looked down at her for a moment.

"I should probably get back out there. Um, break a leg babe." Rachel was snickering as he opened the door to leave the dressing room. When he turned around to find his way back out to the audience, he found himself face to face with Jason. He pointed his finger at him accusingly and said, "I've got half a mind to charge you double the price on the party tonight just because of that little stunt." Jason just smiled all wide and nodded his head.

"I would happily pay it knowing that I had a hand in furthering the relationship of Rachel Berry and Noah Puckerman. Just promise me that when you two are telling this story in a magazine interview one day, you'll be sure to mention my name." Puck shook his head and couldn't help laughing.

"You're insane dude. Now help me figure out how to get out of here so I don't miss the damn show."

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The show wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. There was a lot of freaking dancing for no reason, the main use of percussion in the whole thing was people snapping, and the guy playing Bernardo looked like a total douche bag. But the fact that Rachel looked so amazing in every single one of her scenes made all those things completely trivial. The chick playing Anita reminded him a lot of Santana which he found absolutely hilarious. But then Rachel would come back on stage and he would forget everything but her. It was like a light just kind of shined down on her and everything else blacked out. Then he realized that it was an actual spotlight shining down on her and he felt just a little dumb. Whatever, his girl was incredible and it wouldn't be the last time he felt a little dumb over her.

During intermission, he stood up so he could stretch his legs and noticed Mike doing the same thing at the other end of the group. Mike took his phone out and gestured for Puck to do the same thing. Puck took his phone out and turned it back on just in time to receive a text message from his friend. _*I have a bet with the girls about when the sappy confessions of love are gonna happen. Help me out dude.*_ Puck laughed out loud and typed out his response.

_*unless you guys bet an hour ago before the show, you all suck at gambling.*_ He watched as Mike read the text message and realized what it meant. Then he watched as Mike's phone was passed down the row and each girl read the message. Apparently Dianna had been reading over his shoulder when he typed the message out because suddenly she was clapping her hands over her mouth and looked like she was about to cry. And he knew that those tears had nothing to do with the show because it hadn't got to the sad part that he'd been told was coming. Still, he looked back at her and asked, "What?" Dianna waved her hands and replied,

"Oh nothing honey. I just really love this play. And Rachel is just lovely. Don't you think she's lovely? I love her as Maria." Puck shut his phone back off and rolled his eyes.

"Ma, you just said the word 'love' four times in one breath." Dianna smiled and wiped at her eyes. The lights flashed on and off again as she said,

"Did I? Must be this play." He rolled his eyes for a second time but decided to drop it. He didn't really feel like talking about that with his mom. Puck just wanted to watch his amazing girlfriend kick ass on that stage.

As the curtain went back up, he wondered why he'd always been so against the idea of falling in love. With Rachel, it was pretty damn easy.

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The club was absolutely packed. Jason had basically rented out Chase the Morning for the night of the premier for a cast and crew after-party. There were a lot of fucking people in that cast and crew. Jason went all out for this thing too. A limo picked them up from the theatre to take them to a club. At first, Puck felt a little weird being in a limo with five other people and being the only straight guy. Austin and his boyfriend were on one side of the car. Puck and Rachel sat on the other side. Jason and his fiancée Kurt, who also happened to be the costume designer for the play, sat by the door so they could exit the car first. But he figured if it wasn't weird being around Santana and Tina all the time, then it shouldn't be weird being around those guys. Besides, Rachel always talked about how awesome Kurt was and all the stuff he'd been through in his life. And as long as Austin wasn't after his girl, like he'd originally suspected, Puck figured he was alright too.

Puck looked across the club at Rachel. She was dancing with the rest of the girls and she looked so beautiful. He felt like he could watch her for the rest of his life. Thinking back, he was really fucking happy that he hadn't run that first night he and Rachel had slept together. He couldn't imagine life without her. And, now that they'd said those three not-so-terrifying words to each other, it seemed even more fucked up than ever to even think about not having her with him. Rachel walked over to the bar and smiled at him. Puck now recognized the warmth in her eyes for what it was, for what it had been all along, love. He just hoped to god that she saw the same thing when she looked back at him.

"So are you going to dance with me or what?" There was the tiniest bit of a slur in her speech so he knew she was a little buzzed. She was always pretty cute when she was buzzed. He took her hand in his and lead her back out on to the dance floor. The music slowed down and Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck. He'd never heard slow music in his club before. But Jason had hired his own DJ for the party so that meant the music wasn't what it usually was. Just as his hands were pressing into the gentle swell of her curves, Rachel looked up at him. "Santana and Tina are leaving for Canada tomorrow." Puck nodded his head and chuckled into Rachel's hair.

"Yeah, Tina's been so excited all week about that stupid Torture Garden thing that she hasn't shut up while she's here at work. I'm surprised Santana was up for it." Rachel just giggled and shook her head, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck.

"Santana got it through work as a present for Tina. One of the models with the agency is one of Torture Garden's body suspension girls. She was able to hook them up." She broke out in another fit of buzzed giggles at her own pun and then met his gaze again. "My fathers got married in Canada." Puck laughed again and shook his head.

"You've told me that a couple times babe. It's gonna be lonely in that apartment of yours without a roommate for a couple days. You should just come stay with me. My place is closer to the theatre anyway." Rachel started drawing circles on the back of his neck.

"Noah, you probably shouldn't ask me these sorts of things when I'm drunk. But it does sound like a good idea. Ask me again in the morning. Okay?" Rachel laid her head against his chest as they swayed to the music like a couple teenagers. Puck carded his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"Deal babe. You were incredible tonight." He felt her sigh against his chest as she kept drawing those little circles on the back of his neck.

"Thank you Noah. I love you." And that time, because he knew for a fact that she said it and he wasn't hearing things, he said it back. This love thing didn't seem so hard after all.

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**a/n2: PLEASE REVIEW!**


	15. Chapter 15

**a/n: Alright guys, main thing I'm gonna tell you about this chapter is that I cried, no, sobbed like a freaking baby while writing this. So if nobody else cries too, or at least has the decency to lie and tell me they cried too, I will feel like a total failure as an author, not to mention a pansy for crying at something that I wrote. So please, if you cry, love it, hate it, tell me in a review! I have the best readers on the planet and guys give me so much joy. I could never ever thank you all enough. Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

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"You guys, I'm worried about San and T. Why would they go to a place that tortures gardeners? That sounds horrible. And they've been gone for like a week. What if they got hurt?" Puck wanted to laugh at Brittany's question but stopped himself. That line of thinking _would_ make sense to someone who didn't know about the place. Mike placed his arm around the blonde's shoulders and smiled at her.

"It's a fetish club babe. They have all this weird crap with leather and bondage and different sex stuff. It's like Tina's dream world." Rachel scoffed at Mike's description of the place and took Brittany's hand.

"Brittany sweetie, while Mike is correct about the fetish part and about it being Tina's dream world, Torture Garden is far more than just leather and bondage. It's an alternative view of sexuality. It's like a sexual fantasy world where literally any fantasy you could possibly have is perfectly normal." Brittany nodded her head with a puzzled expression.

"So, San and T are safe there?" Everyone smiled at the fact that she was genuinely concerned for the girls. Brittany had been the last addition to their group but she fit in perfectly.

"Yeah," Puck answered, "they're safe. Last time I checked, orgasms aren't hazardous to your health. If they were, Rach would probably be dead by now." Rachel elbowed him in the side as hard as she could for that comment but Brittany seemed to fully understand.

"Oh okay. But one time, Mike gave me an orgasm so big that I thought I would never be able to dance again. My legs went totally numb. And I couldn't even be mad at him for it because the orgasm was _that_ awesome." Rachel buried her face in her hands and muttered,

"I can't believe we're having this conversation." Puck just grinned and fist bumped Mike behind the girls' heads. The four of them were having a movie night at Puck's (and Rachel's since she'd been staying there with him for the past week) and they were all sitting on the couch. Puck and Mike were at the ends while Rachel and Brittany were in the middle.

Puck reached in to the bowl sitting in Rachel's lap and grabbed some popcorn. He turned his attention back to the movie and tossed a handful of the buttery salty goodness into his mouth. Mike and Puck had talked the girls into watching "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" on the promise of Johnny Depp and he was pretty sure that the only time the movie had ever made complete sense to him was the couple of times during college when he got stoned and it happened to be the only movie he could find to watch. But it was still pretty funny sober. At the beginning, both guys did the "bat country" line right on cue. That was probably Puck's favorite part of the whole movie.

As the credits started to roll, Brittany jumped up and started going through all the movies in Puck's pretty extensive collection. All of a sudden, everyone heard her gasp. "Oh my god Puck! You have "The Princess Diaries"! We have to watch that next!" Now Puck knew his collection backwards, forwards, in chronological order by year of release, by actor, by director, and by car chase/fight/sex scene. You can imagine his surprise when that title was uttered from Brittany's lips.

"The fuck I do! Where the hell did that movie come from?" The giggle beside him told him everything he needed to know. Puck turned his head to see Rachel's lips pursed as she tried to keep from laughing. "Did you stick that in there?" She nodded her head and sank a little bit deeper into the couch. "Why would you do that to me babe? I thought you loved me." His last line, and the pouty tone he said it with, made everyone crack up and Rachel's face brightened into a fit of laughter.

"I do love you Noah! I did it so that I wouldn't be without Julie Andrews for an extended period of time. But I know you hate 'The Sound of Music' and 'Mary Poppins' so I brought that one instead." Brittany snorted and asked,

"What's wrong with 'Mary Poppins'? She's like the coolest baby sitter ever. Plus, she makes medicine taste good. How can anyone not like her?" Puck's eyes opened wide and threw his arms up in the air.

"She has a big-ass bag that has no bottom! She could probably smuggle a kid out in that thing. It's just creepy and I don't like it. Nobody needs a bag like that! Except maybe the mafia." Rachel started laughing so hard that she fell over on the couch, dropping her head into Mike's lap. That made Mike and Brittany start laughing even harder so Puck got up from the couch. "Screw you guys! I'm getting more popcorn." The sound of their laughter faded a little when he made to the kitchen. As he unwrapped another bag of popcorn to put in the microwave, he heard a shuffling sound behind him.

"For what it's worth, I always thought her bag was weird too." Puck turned to see Rachel standing there with a tiny smirk on her face. "So, you know, you shouldn't stay mad at me. Especially when I can do things that make you very, _very_, happy." She walked over to him and ran her hands up his sides. He leaned back against the counter and pulled her closer.

"_You_ make me happy." She got this little smile on her face like he'd just given her the best Hanukkah present ever. Puck shrugged and took her face in his hands. "S'true." He leaned down and sipped at her lower lip until she pressed her mouth fully against his. It wasn't until the microwave started beeping because the popcorn was done that they separated. Puck leaned his forehead against hers and grinned. He turned around and started pouring the popcorn into the bowl he'd brought from the living room.

"You make me happy too Noah." Rachel smiled when he turned back around. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and gave her a little love tap on the butt before gently pushing her back towards the living room.

Brittany had slipped 'The Princess Diaries' into the DVD player when they'd left for the kitchen so it was already playing when they got back. Rachel and Puck sat down and started to watch the movie.

Somewhere around the beach party scene, Rachel's phone started going off. She took it out and read the text message with a funny look on her face. "What's wrong babe," Puck asked. Rachel shook her head and replied,

"Santana was just texting to tell me that they should be home tomorrow and that they have a big surprise for all of us. I wonder what it could be." Puck's brow furrowed with curiosity as he remembered something she'd talked about countless times.

"Rach, didn't you tell me that your dads got married in Canada?" She nodded her head and stuck her phone back in her pocket.

"Well, technically they made it legal in Canada but they had a commitment ceremony a few years before I was born. Why?" Puck rolled his eyes because, really, _she_ wasn't seeing the connection.

"San and T went to _Canada_, where same-sex marriage is _legal_, and now they're saying they have a big _surprise_ for us. Are you seriously missing my point?" Rachel just shook her head dismissively at the notion, which surprised him.

"Oh please. Santana is dead if she comes home married." That comment and the flippant way she said it threw everyone for a loop. Mike leaned forward, the movie long forgotten now.

"That's mean. What's wrong with them getting married?" Rachel looked around at everyone's faces and realized that her comment could very easily be taken out of context unless you knew the story behind it.

"God no, that's not what I meant at all Mike! I would love nothing more than for them to get married and be happy together! Look, when Santana and I were little girls, we used to talk about getting married all the time. We made a pact when we were nine that we would be each other's maid of honor. I just made a joke about if they went off and eloped, Santana would be in violation of that pact and we've always taken our pacts very seriously. But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't be happy for them if they do in fact come home in wedded bliss. I should have made myself clear I suppose." Puck wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. All the wedding talk made his stomach feel funny. "Come on guys, how hypocritical would it be of me, _a child of gay parents_, to be opposed to Tina and Santana tying the knot? Give me a little more credit." Puck chuckled and replied,

"Well that's what confused us in the first place. Sorry babe." Rachel leaned into him and turned her attention back to the TV screen. Brittany threw her legs over Rachel's lap and laid her head down on Mike's lap. She almost kicked the popcorn bowl out of Puck's hands but he was fully expecting Brittany to sprawl out across everyone like she always did so he was ready for her. He sat the bowl back down on the blonde girl's shins and continued to watch the sappy teen movie.

Puck watched Rachel out of the corner of his eye as she mouthed all of the words to the movie. It was something, one of the many things, he liked watching her do. She had this crazy memory where she could watch a movie one time and then the very next time she watched it, she could recite it line for line. He usually only remembered significant lines in movies but it seemed like Rachel had the script for every movie ever made already stuck in her head. He thought it was really cool that she could do that. He'd told her as much once and she just laughed and said she used to drive her fathers crazy with it when she was younger but she used it to strengthen her memory when she started performing and had to memorize long scripts. She told him that his memory was the same with music because he could pretty much play any song after hearing it once. He figured that made sense but still thought it was a lot more fun to watch her mouth line after line of a movie. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was crazy obsessed with her lips. For good reason though, they were very _skilled_.

When the movie was over and Mike and Brittany decided to leave, Rachel was still curled up against his side on the couch. She felt warm and safe with him, which was odd because she'd never felt unsafe on her own. It was a good feeling. She giggled when her stomach started growling and rose up off of him. "Are you hungry Noah?" Noah just nodded his head so she got up and pulled him to the kitchen. Once they were there, Rachel started pulling things out of the refrigerator. After pulling out the tenth random thing and failing to conjure a recipe in her mind for the disoriented medley of ingredients littering the counter, she turned around and looked at him. "Take out?" Noah smiled at her and started putting all the things she'd pulled out of the refrigerator back in it.

"I'll go shopping for shit tomorrow. I think Mike is stealing the food somehow. He's using his Asian Jedi powers or something." Rachel just laughed at him and handed him one of the beers she'd pulled out.

"I think we're just eating the food. You're used to only buying food for yourself. It's different with two people." He stared at her for a second and then smiled.

"I could get used to this kind of different." Rachel grinned up at him and laughed. He dipped his head and sucked at her neck for a minute, making sure to lightly bruise the skin, and then rose up with a _puckish_ smirk on his face. "On second thought, screw take out. I got all I need right here." Rachel faked an annoyed groan and slapped his backside playfully.

"As sweet as that is Noah, I need food! Popcorn is hardly nourishing and that's actually all we've eaten today. I'm calling Manchu Wok, how many egg rolls do you want?" Without removing his mouth from her neck, he held up four fingers. Rachel made phone call with some difficulty as Noah decided to see how many times he could get her to moan while she made the order.

She ignored the knowing look on the delivery boy's face when he showed up thirty minutes later. Rachel grabbed the bag and paid him. As she was shutting the door, Noah asked, "what do you think San and T's surprise is?" She shrugged and started pulling take out boxes out of the bag and setting them on the table.

"I have no idea. Whatever it is, it's probably a pretty good surprise. I bet Santana got hired to do the next spread for Torture Garden and Tina is gonna be the main model for it. That would be fantastic." As Puck shoved an egg roll into his mouth, he couldn't shake the feeling that that totally couldn't be the surprise.

"Yeah, that'd be pretty cool."

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Rachel and Brittany were the last ones to show up at Tina's the next night. Brittany had a late practice with her crew and Rachel got held up by a few fans after the show. When they arrived, Puck and Mike were already sitting on Tina's oversized couch with pizza and beer in their hands. Santana and Tina were nowhere in sight though. Brittany immediately bounded over to Mike and grabbed the slice of pizza out of his hand to take her own bite. The girl laughed that she'd won when Mike just grabbed another slice out of the box in front of him. Rachel walked over and sat down in the chair, also oversized, and grinned when Puck slid in next to her. One of their favorite things about Tina's apartment was that all of her furniture was huge. Puck and Rachel could comfortably sit next to each other in the chair, even if Puck usually pulled her over to sit across his lap. Just as he was doing so, the door to Tina's bedroom opened and both women walked out hand in hand.

"Okay good, everyone's here. And you're all sitting down," Tina said. The girls walked to the front of the room so they were standing in front of the television set. Rachel knew by the smile on Santana's face that something bigger than any professional endeavor was about to be shared.

"Alright," the Latina began, "when we were up in Canada, we started talking about some stuff. About our future actually and where we want our relationship to go. We pretty much want it to go, you know, 'til death. I told Tina that I want to be with her for the rest of my life." Both Brittany and Rachel let out identical 'aww' sounds at that but Santana continued. "So, I asked her to be my wife." Brittany squealed at that and clapped her hands.

"That's awesome! What did you say Tina?" Tina laughed and lowered her head, suddenly shy.

"I said yes!" Both Santana and Tina held up their hands to reveal the matching engagement rings they each wore on their left hand. Rachel shot up from Puck's lap to see the rings better. Each ring was a white gold band of diamonds with a pear-shaped diamond in its setting. They were stunning. As she was staring, Tina continued. "Now, after that, we were totally gonna just get married up there and deal with everything else later but we realized that it wouldn't feel right without you guys. You guys are our family and we want you to be there. So Santana is gonna move in with me officially, even though she's practically been living here for a while now, and that way we can really begin our lives together." Santana nodded her head excitedly and added,

"We want a small wedding but we want everyone to be able to be there so we were thinking after the Tony awards would be our best bet. I mean come on, I can't get married without my maid of honor." Rachel's head snapped up and the tears started pouring down her face. She wrapped her arms around her best friend and hugged her as tight as her body would allow. "You didn't think I'd forgotten about our pact, did you?" Rachel released a watery laugh and shook her head. That's when Tina looked over at the couple still on the couch and said,

"Mike, not that I'm the dude in this relationship or anything but, you're my brother so, will you be my best man?" The tall lanky man got a little choked up as he stood up from the couch and walked over to stand in front of the girl who, in all the ways that had counted his whole life, was his sister.

"Hell yeah T," he whispered. His arms wrapped around the girl's shoulders and Rachel broke down again. Puck and Brittany both stood up and made their way over to the group, easily closing the group in an embrace. It was a mess of happy tears and laughter. That's when it really hit Rachel. Her best friend was engaged to be married to an amazing woman and they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. The entire thought process just brought on another wave of tears and she couldn't do anything but hug Santana tighter.

After another few minutes of hugs and crying, everyone broke apart. As she sat back down on Puck's lap, Rachel realized what this would entail. "So San, when were you planning to move in with Tina?" She couldn't hide the sadness in her voice as she felt tears begin to well up again. She'd lived with Santana for as long as she could remember. They'd had a brief stint in college where they lived separately but other than that, it had always been the two of them. She felt like she was about to lose a part of herself. Santana started sniffling and making the face she did when she held back tears.

"I was going to start packing up my room in the next few days. The sooner we can start living together full-time, the better. But I'm gonna miss you so much Rach. You're my sister. I love you. It's always been me and you." Her words became a little choppy as her emotions got the better of her. "Do you remember when we first got that apartment and you tried to bake cookies for the whole floor?" Rachel sighed and moved over to the couch where Santana and Tina had replaced Brittany and Mike.

"I wasn't used to the oven yet so I burned the first batch and cried for an hour. But then you told me to screw the neighbors so we just sat in the middle of the kitchen and ate the rest of the cookie dough." Santana laughed and smiled at the memory. "I can't believe it's gonna be over." Rachel pushed her hair back out of her face and bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to stop crying.

"We'll still see each other Rach. What we have," she gestured between them with her hands, "this is forever Rach. Not living together isn't gonna change that. We're never gonna be over. You've been my best friend since before I can even remember. That will never change. Ever." She smiled at the small brunette and kissed her forehead.

"I love you Santana Lopez. And I wish every single happiness possible for the two of you. You girls are amazing and deserve it." Tina leaned over and hugged Rachel for that and then Rachel moved back over to sit with Puck.

As Tina and Santana started going over the stories from their trip to Canada that didn't pertain to their engagement, Puck started thinking. If Santana and Tina were going to be living together, that left Rachel in that huge two bedroom apartment, having to pay rent by herself, living by herself, without anyone there to really protect her. He also knew that having her staying with him the past week had been amazing. They'd gotten into one big fight about something he couldn't even remember anymore and even that had ended with them breathless and turned on so much that their only option was sex on the washing machine during the spin cycle. (Maybe that fight was about fabric softener? Eh, who cares?) She'd kept saying how easier the commute was to the theatre because it was so close. Not only did she have a drawer now (a couple to be exact), but she also had her own side of the closet and a shelf in the bathroom. The only reason she didn't have a side of the bed was because they usually just curled up in whatever position they found the most comfortable no matter what side of the bed that landed them on. Puck was pretty sure he could sleep upside down as long as she was there with him. So when Santana plugged her camera into the TV to show everyone the pictures they'd taken on their trip and Rachel got up to get a bottle of water from the kitchen, Puck followed her.

She'd just pulled the bottle from the refrigerator when she noticed him standing there. Puck smiled at her and figured he might as well just get to it. "You know Rach, we've been really good this past week." Rachel smiled and nodded her head.

"I know. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be actually. You're pretty easy to live with." Puck just chuckled at her and stepped a little closer to her.

"Well I was thinking that you're pretty easy to live with too. So maybe, we should, you know, keep doing that." She took a sip of her water and then stared up at him. He could tell that she was replaying his words in her mind so he just stared back with a self-satisfied grin on his face.

"Are you asking me to move in with you Noah?" She bit her lip in the cute (fucking sexy) way that she always did and he nodded his head.

"Yep, I want you to move in with me. I want you to live with me. I want to live with you. I want us to live together. However the hell you want to see it. Yeah, that's what I'm saying." Rachel met his gaze for a moment and then smiled this big toothy grin. She sat her water bottle down on the counter beside her and rose up on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck in the process. As her tongue tangled around his, Puck was pretty sure he had his answer. He slanted his mouth over hers and pulled her up against his body. Suddenly, the door swung open and Brittany's voice giggled out,

"You guys, whenever we tell you to get a room, we don't usually mean the kitchen." The two didn't pull apart though. Rachel just smiled into the kiss and kept going. Brittany left the room and as soon as the door shut, Puck raked his hands down to her ass and picked her up. As gently as he could, he sat her down on the countertop and kept a firm grip on her waist. He felt her fingers thread through the short hair on his head, her nails scraping lightly across his scalp. She dug her knees into his waist like she always did when she was riding him hard and it made him instantly rigid inside his jeans. Puck pulled his head back just a little and when he did, she looked down to admire her handiwork.

"Alright, either that was that a 'yes' or a hell of a kiss so I won't feel so bad about it being a 'no'?" Rachel laughed and looked up at him, that bottom lip still bitten between her teeth. Fuck, if it wasn't for the hard-on she'd already caused him, he'd definitely have one from that image.

"Yes, Noah I would love to move in with you." Hearing her saying that made him pick her up from the counter and swing her around the kitchen. Her laughter filled the small room and her arms wrapped a little tighter around his neck. When he stopped spinning and put her back down, she pressed her lips to his once more.

"You two just had to steal our thunder didn't you?" Santana's voice was heard from the door way and both Puck and Rachel turned around quickly like two children caught in the act of doing something clearly against the rules. There in the doorway of the kitchen stood the four of them, all grinning wildly at the couple in the middle of the kitchen. Rachel just smiled even bigger and replied,

"Looks like I'll be needing some boxes too."

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Two weeks later, Puck stood just outside the backstage entrance to the theatre. The people around him were shoving and yelling at each other like crazy. It was total chaos. Suddenly, the backstage door opened and the crowd hushed. The chick that played Anita, whom Puck still swore could pass for Santana's twin, walked out and the crowd went wild again. Behind her came Bernardo, and Puck still thought he looked like a total douche. The two of them signed autographs and talked with the fans for about twenty minutes. Puck was certain that if he ever had to sign that many autographs for any reason, his hand would fall off. He couldn't understand how Rachel did it every night, and not just the autographs. The performing on stage eight shows a week seemed like so much for someone to take on but he knew she loved it. He noticed the crowd get a little quieter again and the door opened. This time, some of the other cast members that he never really paid attention to came out and signed their autographs for the fans for a little while.

After about thirty more minutes had passed, Puck started to feel like Rachel had escaped through the front door and he was currently waiting on nobody. But then, just as he was about to lose hope, that damn door opened again. He closed his eyes and knew from the sounds around him that Austin and Rachel had finally emerged from the theatre to do their meet and greet with the fans. Now that he could see her, he took a deep breath and stepped away from the crowd. Puck just watched as she asked for their names and answered their questions one right after the other, the whole time with this big smile on her face like she was having the time of her life. She was stunning. People were yelling her name and taking pictures and she handled it all with the same grace that he saw on a daily basis. Watching her as she interacted with these people was almost like watching her onstage as she performed. It was like she didn't have an element anymore. The whole world was her element and she could make it do whatever she wanted.

Apparently there was an allotted amount of time set for meeting the cast because after about two hours had gone by in all, the supporting cast had made another appearance just before one of the guards started turning people away. Puck chuckled as he saw Rachel quickly grab a few more photos of herself from people's hands to hurriedly scrawl her name across the pages. She never liked to leave an audience unsatisfied. After the crowd was pretty much gone, Puck was still standing in his spot as she spoke to Austin for a few minutes. He walked over a little closer and caught her attention by clearing his throat. Before he really knew what was happening, she was hugging him like it'd been days since they'd seen each other or something. It had technically only been about twenty four hours but whatever. He hugged her back and quickly pushed her hair out of her face, gently tucking it behind her ear.

"Guess what," he started. Rachel ran her hands up and down his biceps a couple times before looking back up at him.

"What?" He pulled her closer to him and curled his arms around her tiny body before softly whispering into her ear,

"We got the last box moved today." She gasped and pulled back with a grin. He continued. "And, since it was mostly your movies and stuff for the living room, I went ahead and unpacked it. Yeah I realized that you're probably just gonna go behind me and rearrange whatever it is that I did 'wrong' but I don't even care. You already got your address changed and everything else is done. As far as I'm concerned, you're moved in baby!" Rachel threw her head back and released a yell that distinctly reminded him of the _Xena Warrior Princess_ battle cry. That quickly lead to thoughts of Rachel in some tight leather outfit beating the shit out of people and basically being an all-around badass which, let's just face facts, is hotter than any seventh circle of hell could ever hold a candle to.

"Stop imagining me killing people in a leather tunic." He laughed at her but didn't stop thinking about it. Hell no, those were the types of things that could keep a guy _up_ at night and he wasn't about to let that go. Rachel just laughed, knowing exactly what was going on in his mind, and placed her hand in his. And right then, she said the words that were pretty much the sweetest words (eclipsed only by 'I love you') he'd ever heard. "Noah, take me home."

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**please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**a/n: Sorry this chapter has taken so long to get out. Between this and the "Cowboy Up" sequel "Back in the Saddle" (totally go check that out), my muse has been elusive lately. But either way, here it is and I hope you enjoy it! I owe my twin foreverGleek20 thanks for giving me the idea of limo!sex because it was the best idea ever. So thanks twin! Less than three you bb! The dress I used was Lea's 2010 Emmy dress. Hope my description did it justice! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter of Chase the Morning and please review! I don't own Glee…I have a sense of continuity.**

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Puck stood in the elevator of his building, waiting impatiently as it lurched up to his floor. He would've taken the stairs but after a night of having to tend his own bar because one of their regulars called in sick, he really didn't feel like walking any more than he absolutely had to. Another reason he wanted to get home as quickly as possible was because the nominations for the Tony awards had officially been announced that morning and Rachel was nominated for "Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical". The play was up for a couple awards, plus Austin, Jason, even the Kurt dude, and some other cast members were all up for stuff. But Puck's main concern was Rachel. She'd called him that morning after the announcement had happened and he could barely understand a word she'd said because her voice was all high pitched and squeaky. He got the gist of it though and he couldn't wait to slide in next to her in bed and congratulate her right. Well, maybe not _right_, seeing as it was four in the morning and he didn't really expect her to be awake, but whatever.

When the elevator doors opened on the floor just below his, he groaned when there was no one standing there to get on. Some fucking kid probably ran by and pushed the button or something. It was like the universe hated him at the moment. He pressed on the 'door close' button a couple hundred times to get the ride underway again. Finally, the doors opened on the correct floor and he walked down the hall. When he got to his and Rachel's door (man he loved saying that), his keys were already in his hands to unlock it. The living room was dark as he walked in but he could hear music coming from the bedroom. Softly, he padded his way down the hall and stopped at the bedroom door to listen. She had her iPod plugged into the docking station playing a song he instantly recognized. It was "Chromaggia" from _Repo!_ and he grinned. When they'd first started dating seriously, she'd told him that she listened to the soundtrack more often because it reminded her of him. The fact that she was listening to something that made her think of him on one of the biggest days of her life made him fall just a little bit deeper in love with her.

Puck opened the door quietly, not wanting to wake her up, and was surprised to find her sitting up in the middle of the bed with her legs crossed. She was wearing one of his shirts and her hair was in this side braid thing over her shoulder, and she just looked so perfect. The lights were down low and she'd lit a few candles around the room. It looked like she was reading a book or something so he cleared his throat so she would notice him there.

"Noah, you're home," she said with a little smile on her face. Puck stepped further into the bedroom, their bedroom, and shut the door behind him.

"What are you doing awake Rachel?" He knew she had two shows in a couple of hours and should really be asleep at this hour of the morning.

"I'm too excited to sleep. I've been wired all day long. Can you imagine Noah? Ten Tony Awards, no one has ever done that before. This is insane." Puck pulled his shirt over his head and unzipped his pants with a chuckle.

"It's not insane. You deserve it baby. You're fucking amazing on that stage and I'm pretty sure that nobody but you should have those awards more." She started laughing. It was her drunk laugh, but he knew she wasn't drunk. Well, not drunk on alcohol at least. As she fell over on her side, he crawled up beside her on the bed. "You alright? You didn't get into the tequila again did you? I know you don't get hangovers or whatever but that still can't be a good idea with two shows in a couple hours." When he said that, she rolled over and looked up at him.

"I'm fine Noah. I just, I think it's really hitting me now. There is a possibility that I could become a ten-time Tony Award winning actress. I'm pretty sure I'm in shock right now." Puck smiled down at her and kissed her neck.

"I can shock you even more if you want." She grinned and slid her hand across his chest. Her face softened a little as she stared at her fingers against his skin.

"You're so good to me Noah." That made him happier than he really cared to admit so he placed his hand over hers and breathed in.

"It's not that hard to return the favor." Rachel rose back up on her knees and her eyes went serious.

"I'm not kidding. You've been so supportive of me, even when you didn't have to be. It really means a lot to me." Puck just shook his head and pulled her back down on the bed. He brushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled back at her. The flickering light from the candles made her look like she was glowing or something.

"Baby, I really don't think you understand how easy it is for me to be with you. It's like breathing. And I'll support you to the end, you know that right?" Rachel bit her lip and covered his cheek with her palm, then laughed softly nodding her head for him to continue. "You deserve the best. That's why I'm here Rach. We're what's best for each other. I know that." The corners of her mouth turned up again but she surprised him a little when she pushed him back against the bed. He felt her hands slide over his abs and raised his head in time to see her straddle the tops of his thighs. "Babe, what are you," but then she tugged at his boxers and he knew exactly what she was doing.

Rachel giggled as she watched his body realize what was about to happen. "Noah, you don't mind do you?" He couldn't answer her, just nodded his head quickly with a groan. She pulled his boxers down and bunched them in front her legs where she sat. He sprang to attention instantly as she wrapped her hand around his penis.

"Rach, you don't have to," Rachel silenced him with a firm squeeze and looked up.

"I know that Noah. That's why I want to. Besides, I know you like it when I give you head. I can tell you're thinking about it when you stare at my mouth sometimes." Noah chuckled darkly and flinched as her hand started slowly stroking up and down.

"You figured that out huh?" Rachel laughed and then bent her head down over him, sucking the tip into her mouth. "Oh fuck Rachel," he murmured, trying in vain to relax. She popped her mouth off and grinned at him.

"You're about as subtle as I am. Besides, who wouldn't like this? I'm really good at it." Rachel started to lower her mouth back down over his already throbbing dick as Puck laid his head back down against the pillow with lowered lids.

"No arguments here." Her tongue gently pulsed around the tip for a couple seconds before pulling her head back. Rachel listened to his shallow breathing and smiled to herself. They had this fascinating sort of power over each other when it came to oral sex. Both were exceptionally talented with their mouths and they rarely missed a chance to flaunt that talent to each other. She moved her head slowly up and down his shaft while her soft hand gently cupped his balls to give them a soft squeeze. Noah started mumbling something through his teeth but Rachel kept going. She sucked on him, pursing her lips some to change up the feel because she knew what he liked, and then pressed on the seam between his boys. Rachel felt his legs twitch under when she did that so she repeated the action. The second time she did so, a very different appendage twitched and she couldn't help smiling at the feel of him moving inside her mouth. He was so close, just one more touch and she knew he would be falling apart and yelling her name louder than anyone should be at four in the morning. Rachel chose that moment to fully lower her head. Feeling him slide into the back of her throat, she swallowed. She delighted in the sound of his bizarre mixture of Yiddish and English profanities as the muscles of her throat closed around him tightly. A sudden push upward of her hand and she was swallowing every drop that poured from his cock.

When it finally seemed as though he was finished, Rachel sucked once more just to make sure. Noah moaned in response so she slowly removed her mouth from him and sat back on her haunches. Looking down at him, with his hands curled into fists at his side and his chest moving up and down rapidly in time with his quickened breaths, she wondered if it was possible to love him even more. When Rachel moved to get beside him in the bed, one of his hands unclenched and flew to her hips effectively holding her in place. With his other hand, he reached over and retrieved her water bottle from the nightstand before sitting up. He drew circular patterns on her hip with his thumb as she drank what was left in her bottle. "Noah," she said quietly. He looked up at her with a lopsided grin that always made her heart flutter and said,

"I really don't get how you can still make me pretty much black out after all this time." Rachel giggled a little and brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders. With a coy half-shrug of her shoulder, she smugly replied,

"It's a gift." Noah chuckled at her but didn't argue. Instead, he lifted her chin up so she would meet his eyes.

"_You're_ a gift baby." Rachel felt her eyes get a little misty as she smiled at him. Just when she thought he'd take a perfect opening for a lewd comment, he throws her for a loop by being the sweetest man alive. There's that heart-fluttery thing again. "Let me make you come Rach," he whispered to her. "I want to make you come." Rachel promptly forgot about the fact that she had two shows within a couple of hours and nodded her head. Using his hands, he laid her down on their bed and proceeded to show her how much of a gift she truly was.

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Puck rolled over in his sleep the next morning and reached for Rachel. When she wasn't there, he opened his eyes and looked around the bedroom. He'd fully expected her to still be asleep since she didn't really have to be at the theatre until after lunch. Off in another room of the apartment, he could hear music playing. He knew that Rachel wouldn't leave her iPod at home if she'd actually left for the theatre already so he was pretty sure she was still there. He rose up out of bed and put a pair of clean boxers on before trudging out in the hallway to look for his girlfriend.

When he made it to the end of the hall, he stopped in his tracks. He found her alright. Rachel was dancing around the living room to Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)" wearing an oversized t-shirt, tiny little shorts, and a pair of knee socks. In their almost four month relationship, he'd never _ever_ seen her in knee socks. Puck propped his body up sideways on the wall and watched her for a minute. She wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings, just moving around the room in this sort of jumping flailing motion. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't fucking adorable. His soft chuckle is what alerted her to his presence and she spun around so fast that it only made his chuckle turn into a full laugh.

"Noah, did I wake you up?" She was blushing from being caught even though she tried to deflect attention back to him. Puck just nodded his head and walked over to her, eyeing the way she shifted nervously from side to side.

"Well yeah, I figured you'd sleep in after last night, this morning, whatever you wanna call it. I rolled over and you weren't there. But I definitely wasn't expecting to walk in on _this_," he gestured to her one-woman dance party and attire with a grin. "Seriously, why is it that I've never seen you in knee socks before?" Rachel laughed and shook her head at him but stepped closer all the same.

"I found them when I was going through my stuff the other day. I used to wear knee socks all the time in high school. I put them on this morning because I haven't done laundry so I couldn't find any other socks to wear. And as for the dancing around like a complete fool, don't make fun of me. I'm still excited from yesterday so I'm still celebrating." Puck threw his hands up in submission and laughed.

"I'm not making fun of you babe. You can dance around in barely-there shorts all you want. It's fine with me. Just promise to wake me up next time you do it because I cannot miss that again." She slapped his chest playfully and he added, "oh yeah, and those socks, totally kinky babe." She blushed again at that and it amazed him that after all they'd done, she could still pull off this shy innocent look so easily. He kissed her before she had the chance to say anything and smiled at the face she made because of his morning breath.

"Go brush your teeth and come back in here. I've got something to ask you." That statement piqued his interest. He turned and went back down the hall to the bathroom to brush his teeth, albeit a little quicker than normal, and rinsed as soon as he felt that his mouth was clean enough.

"Okay Rach, what's the big secret?" When he got back into the living room, Rachel was seated on the couch and the music wasn't playing anymore. She motioned for him to sit down beside her so he did. She smiled at him for a moment before she started talking.

"Noah, last night was spectacular. You're always so amazing to me. And I want everyone to know it. Noah, will you be my date to the Tony Awards this year?" He cocked his head to the side and chewed his lip for a second.

"Babe, I kinda thought that I was _already_ gonna be your date. I mean, I'm your boyfriend. Who else are you gonna go with?" Rachel rolled her eyes and shoved at his shoulder.

"You big dummy! I was being romantic by actually asking you instead of just assuming and expecting you to go with me. But I suppose some forms of romance are lost on you." He couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Well what did you expect? I pretty much figured that when you go to these award things, you're supposed to take the person you're _dating_ as your _date_." Rachel wanted to be at least a little mad about his assumption but when he put it like that, and said it in that way, she just couldn't bring herself to be very upset. His lips twitched and his features became very smug as he leaned over and said, "but yeah Rach, I'll totally be your date." She moved to push at his arm but he quickly swung it around her body and pulled her in close. She fell into his side as he curled his hand into her hip. The two stayed that way for a few minutes before he realized what time it was. "Babe, aren't you usually getting ready to leave for the theatre right about now?"

"Oh my god, you're never going to believe what happened! Last night, after the theatre closed, some sort of stabbing happened on the sidewalk right out in front. They think it was a mugging gone bad or something. Either way, they've had to shut the theatre down for today because of the investigation or whatever so I have the day off. Jason called me this morning to tell me. He was so upset about having to cancel the two shows today but all the tickets have already been refunded." Puck shook his head. They lived in one crazy city, that was for sure. "But, I actually do need to go get ready to meet Kurt for lunch." His ears perked up a little at that.

"The costume designer? Jason's boyfriend? Why?" Rachel smiled, happy that he remembered all the people she was involved with.

"Yesterday when the nominations were announced, Kurt asked me if he could design my dress for the awards. The work he's done with the show costumes is stunning and he's easy to work with. So we're meeting today to discuss possible dress designs." Puck nodded his head.

"You girls have fun with that. I wish I would've known about you having the day off though. It would've been awesome to make you walk funny on your lunch date." Rachel just laughed and rolled her eyes as she stood up to go change into something a bit more appropriate for meeting with the flamboyant designer. When she got around the couch, Puck yelled, "Any chance I'll get to see those knee socks again anytime soon?" He heard her scoff behind him but he didn't turn around. As he turned the TV on, he felt something soft thump the back of his head. When he turned to look at Rachel, she'd already removed one sock (the one now balled up in the floor from hitting his head) and was in the process of balling up the other sock to lob at him. Puck stood up and faced her, sending a warning with his eyes. Rachel just arched her eyebrow in challenge and smirked.

"Take a good look at them Noah." Her hands were quick as the sock ball cut through the air aimed straight for his head. He blamed his slow reaction time on his shock that his girlfriend had just chucked her socks at him. The sock hit him right in his forehead. Rachel started laughing really hard but still noticed him run around the couch.

"You're totally gonna pay for that," Puck shouted. She took off down the hallway and into their bedroom. He caught up to her just as she lost her balance and they both fell over onto the bed in a fit of laughter. Puck rolled so that he was on top of her and smirked. Just then, her phone started ringing on the nightstand. Because he had her pinned down pretty good, it was out of her reach. He knew all of her ringtones for when their friends called and the one coming from her phone wasn't one he knew to be assigned to anyone. It was "Le Jazz Hot" from some movie she'd made him watch once but he couldn't figure out who it went to. Rachel laughed at the confused look on his face.

"Noah it's Kurt. He's probably calling about lunch to tell me where to meet him." Puck reached over and grabbed the phone, quickly pressing the send button and holding it to his ear.

"Hey what's up Kurt?"

"Puck? Why are you answering Rachel's phone? Is she okay? You haven't sexed her brains out and made her scream until she's hoarse have you? Just because the shows today got canceled does not give you free range to go all caveman on our diva." Puck rolled his eyes and slapped Rachel's hand away as she tried to grab her phone from him.

"Chill out dude, Rach is fine. She's probably gonna be late to your lunch thing though. That whole sexing her brains out thing doesn't sound half bad." Rachel, surprisingly silent for the conversation, looked like she could kill him.

"I do not require any of those details you Neanderthal. Just tell Rachel to meet me at Henri's for lunch whenever she can walk again. Toodles." As soon as Puck tossed the phone on the bed, Rachel slapped him hard right in the chest.

"I can't believe you just told him that! What is wrong with you? I have to call him back right now. Get off of me Noah." Puck leaned down as close as possible to her and ground his pelvis against her. Desire flickered across her features and she released the tiniest of moans.

"I think I'll just get _you_ off," he whispered hotly against her ear. He could feel her nails start to dig in to his sides and he added, "a couple of times." She moaned a little louder and gave in completely. Walking normally is overrated anyway.

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Rachel walked into the quaint French restaurant and looked around. Kurt waved at her from one of the tables against the wall and she walked over. He stood up and looked her up and down before a wicked smile lit up his cherubic face.

"Has he rendered you useless yet darling?" Rachel laughed nervously and shook her head.

"Sometimes I think he's trying his damndest. He's actually very sweet when he wants to be. I really must apologize for that phone call though. He had me, um, detained." Kurt chuckled and pulled a sketch book out of the attaché case at his feet.

"I'll _bet_ he did." Rachel's face colored slightly as he continued. "I can certainly see why Jason likes him so much though. He's always talking about how perfect you two are around each other." Rachel wanted to sigh that her director had such affection for her boyfriend and their relationship but was cut off by Kurt. "But anyway, we should get down to business. Have you given any thought to the color you want?"

And just like that, relationship talk was over and the two were designing a gown for the Tony Awards. By the time the two of them figured out the basic design and color of the dress, their table and floor around them was littered with sheets of paper full of rejected sketches. They had gotten into two major arguments. The first because Rachel absolutely refused to wear an empire waist, and the second because Kurt refused to design something a little looser because he claimed the world would accuse him of trying to copy Michael Kors' last fashion show. After about three hours of drawings, yelling, and plenty of dirty looks from the staff of the restaurant, Kurt put the finishing touch on the drawing that would become Rachel's dress. It was going to be a deep navy blue color. It would have a sleeveless form fitting bodice with asymmetrical rouching. Ruffles would start on one side of the dress about mid-thigh and go down diagonally and around to complete the bottom of the skirt. The instant Kurt flipped the sketch book around, she fell in love with the dress. It was better than any of the others littering the floor around them, and she was almost positive that it was better than any of the gowns she'd ever worn to awards shows before. All of her other gowns had been bought off the rack in boutiques and then tailored to fit her petite form. Rachel had never had a dress designed for her, let alone worked with the designer to design the dress using her own ideas about what she wanted.

Rachel sat back in her chair and took a deep breath before meeting the baby blues of the man across the table from her. "Do you think your assistant can handle making it in time?" Kurt stopped gathering up the various rejected designs around them and shot her an astounded look.

"Are you kidding me Rachel? I couldn't trust this with any hands but my own. I've already talked to Jason about it and we've agreed that my assistant will handle any costume issues for the show until I finish the dress. I plan on focusing all of my time and energy on this dress so it can be ready in time. My name is on this honey and I can't afford to let anyone else take the reins." Rachel laughed and drank the last of the water left in her glass.

"Well I really can't thank you enough for doing this Kurt. I've never had a dress designed for me before." Kurt waved his hand to the waiter signaling they were finally ready for their check. Once he'd paid the tab and packed up all of his things, he stood up and hugged her.

"Honey, you're up for your tenth Tony award. The way people throw themselves at you now is nothing compared to how they'll be vying for your attentions later. I'm just glad I'll be able to say I've worked with you. Besides, I'm up for Best Costume Design. It's an honor to do this for you sweetie. And this is quite possibly the most fabulous thing I'll have under my belt to date. Well, besides Jason." Rachel laughed softly as Kurt covered his mouth with his perfectly manicured hand. "Did I just say that out loud?" She nodded and rubbed his shoulder.

"Yes you did. It's fine though, Noah makes lewd comments on a daily basis. That was tame compared to the things he comes up with." Kurt had this knowing smile on his face as he nodded his head.

"I believe I'll be heading back to my studio now to get started on this. Good thing I already have your measurements. You're not going to gain any weight or anything are you? Because if you let yourself get stressed out or anything, it could really screw with your fantastic metabolism." Rachel just laughed and started to walk with Kurt outside.

"Don't worry Kurt. I don't plan on getting stressed and letting all my food go to my ass. My measurements should stay the same." The man curled his arms around her shoulders and chuckled. "I suppose you'll call me for my fitting since you won't be at the theatre for the next few days?"

"I will call with every useless miniscule detail sweetie. Just make sure that you actually answer your phone next time. I'm not very keen on worrying about you. It makes me feel like less of a bitch which would be terrible for my reputation." Rachel laughed and hailed a cab. She pressed a goodbye kiss to Kurt porcelain cheek and replied,

"I'll be sure to tell everyone that you're the most difficult person I've ever had the displeasure of working with. How's that sound?" Kurt ushered her into her cab and chuckled.

"Just lovely. Say hello to that boyfriend of yours for me." Rachel couldn't help but smile and nod at him as he closed the cab door. Rachel took a deep breath and told the driver the apartment address to take her back home. She knew that they would double up shows for the next few days to make up for ones they'd lost due to the mugging. She needed her rest. She just wondered how much Noah would actually let her rest once she got home. Probably not at all. But she knew a few ways to tire him out that were a lot of fun.

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The night of the awards, Puck hadn't seen Rachel all day long. Since Santana always did her makeup and hair for any awards shows she had to go to, she'd left early that morning for Tina and Santana's apartment. Rachel did at least wake him up by straddling his hips and kissing him until he realized that no, it wasn't the best dream ever, it was real life. He got out of bed and showered with her just so they could spend a little more time together before she had to leave. Once she was gone though, he figured he might as well go back to sleep since he had about three hours to kill before his barber shop appointment. He'd been meaning to get a haircut for a while now but never really found the time. He figured he might as well look clean cut for the fucking Tony Awards. Puck knew the red carpet was televised just like the actual ceremony was and he didn't exactly want to make Rachel look bad by showing up all ghetto. Puck snuck around behind Rachel's back and talked to Kurt about what he should wear to the event. He didn't know if you were supposed to prom it up and have his tux match her dress or what. (Kurt promptly took a wrecking ball to that thought process and told him that if he showed up to the Tony Awards in an outfit that matched Rachel's dress, he would personally lock him in the limo to save Rachel the embarrassment.) Puck had a tailor that he went to for all of his higher end clothing like suits and stuff. Once Kurt gave him the general idea of what he was supposed to wear ("You're just there to make her look even more fabulous so just stay away from that god-awful plaid you like so much.") he just told his tailor to make his regular three-piece suit in black.

His plan was to pick the suit up after getting his hair cut and then make sure the limo was going to be on time to the apartment so he'd still be able to get Rachel from San and T's place. It kind of made him feel important. That's when he realized that there was no way he could go back to sleep. He was getting _excited_ about the _Tony_ _Awards. _Puck checked his junk to make sure it didn't just shrivel up and die before he walked into the kitchen and grabbed some cereal for breakfast. He turned the TV on and, surprise surprise, it was on a channel that was covering all this pre-show crap for the Tony's. Just as he about to change the channel, he thought of how shocked Rachel would be if, when they were at the ceremony, she didn't have to explain every little thing about all the stuff that was happening. She would no doubt be impressed that he'd taken the initiative to try and learn shit about this world she was practically at the center of, and an impressed Rachel was a horny Rachel. Okay, so that wasn't all of his reasoning. She was usually really sweet when he managed to impress her with stuff and he really wanted her to be proud to have him on her arm for the whole theatre world to see.

So he watched the show, and was surprised at some of the stuff he already knew just from the residual effect of being around Rachel all the time. Maybe he wouldn't be totally lost at the show that night.

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Santana used her fingertip to smudge the eye shadow she'd just applied to Rachel's lids and hummed to herself, satisfied with the end result. She'd curled Rachel's hair into soft waves so it fell in a curtain around her shoulders. Her cheeks were barely tinted with a soft blush and her lips were covered with a shimmery pink gloss. Her eyes were what Santana was most proud of. They were a smoky blue gray color that perfectly complemented the golden flecks in her brown eyes. A quick swipe of mascara was the lynchpin to the look. She was brushing a soft shimmer powder on Rachel's shoulders when Tina walked into the bedroom and grinned at her fiancée toiling over their friend.

"We have a visitor," she announced in a sing-song voice. Santana and Rachel both turned their heads to see Kurt standing in the doorway beside Tina with two garment bags dangling from his hands. Rachel grinned and stood up from the ottoman she'd been seated at. Kurt held one garment bag out in front of his body and said,

"Sweetie, this is quite possibly going to go down as my masterpiece. Now I hope you don't mind, but I added a few touches since your last fitting that weren't in our original design. But I know that it'll look fabulous on you." Rachel quickly unzipped the bag and gasped. The dress better than she'd prepared herself for. It was stunning. But looking at it on the hanger, she couldn't see any deviations from the design she and Kurt had come up with.

"What did you change? It looks better than we thought out on paper." With a sly look in his eye, Kurt quickly removed the garment bag and turned the hanger around so that Rachel could see the back of the dress. She saw what he was talking about. In the original design, the ruffles on the bottom started at about mid thigh and worked their way down at an angle. In the finished product however, Kurt had added ruffles to backside, which would essentially accentuate her derriere. She smiled to herself. "Kurt, it's fantastic. I love it. What made you decide to change it?" Kurt walked over to the bed and laid the dress out flat.

"Well I started thinking about some of your best features and how I could have the dress perfectly complement those features. The first things that came to my mind were your nose and your ass. Since I'm not touching that wonderful homage to Babs, I figured I'd go with your ass. So I changed up the ruffle scheme a bit, added some to the back so that perfect little heart-shaped booty of yours gets the attention it deserves from someone other than Puck, and all I ask in return is that when those reporters ask you who you're wearing, you'll tell them it's the newest Hummel creation." Rachel grinned and nodded her head.

"Thank you Kurt. If you don't win the Tony tonight, I will protest." Kurt smiled and crossed his arms.

"Oh don't worry honey, I'll protest too. Now, stop talking about it or I'll get nervous and wrinkle. Now, off with those clothes. We're cutting it close. That boyfriend of yours should be here with the limo any minute now." He picked the dress up and put it on the floor so that Rachel could step into it. As he was pulling it up her body, Rachel noticed the other garment bag.

"What's in the other bag," she questioned. Kurt delicately tugged on the zipper and sighed behind her.

"That's my tux. Once we get you finished, I'm hijacking a cab to Jason's to get ready as fast as humanly possible. The way they've ordered the arrivals to the red carpet is you and Puck, Austin and his little bitch of a boyfriend, and then Jason and I. If I break a sweat, I'm shooting something." Tina and Santana giggled but Rachel just smiled. She didn't have much doubt that if anything attempted to blemish the man's porcelain skin, he would certainly get homicidal.

"Oh shit," Santana started, "we almost forgot the jewelry." She walked over to hers and Tina's dresser and opened the top drawer. Rachel didn't know what she was talking about. She'd planned on wearing her own jewelry like she always did. But when Santana pulled a blue velvet box out of the drawer, her engagement ring glinting in the light as she did so, Rachel's breath hitched a little. Tina smiled at her and said,

"You're breaking a record tonight. One of the photo shoots we both got to work on last week was for a jeweler looking to give some edge to his advertising. He loved the work so much that he told us if we ever needed anything, all we had to do was ask. So we called in a favor." Rachel's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Santana was standing in front of her now with the box in her hands. Santana grinned and opened it. Rachel looked into the box and saw a gorgeous wreath-style necklace adorned with princess-cut diamonds and sapphires. She looked at Santana and then to Tina. Santana took the necklace out of the box and looked at Rachel again.

"Bitch if you cry and mess up your makeup, I will cut you. It's not all water-proof. This is a good luck present for tonight, so move your hair and let me put it on you." Kurt handed her a tissue and she dabbed at her eyes before carefully lifting her hair up. Once the necklace was secure she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.

"Okay," Tina started as she closed her phone, "Puck is outside and he says he has a surprise for you." Rachel looked at Tina in the mirror.

"Why isn't he coming up?" Tina just shrugged her shoulders but the tiny smile on her face told Rachel she knew the reason and wasn't telling her. Rachel turned around and grabbed the little clutch purse on the bed that ironically matched her dress perfectly. That's when she realized that it was _the_ clutch purse, the one that had essentially brought her and Noah together. Her cell phone and tiny touch-up kit were already inside. She took a breath and stepped into the five inch Louboutins that Kurt brought with him. This was it.

Outside, she saw the limo parked on the curb. The door opened and she watched as Noah got out of the car, buttoning his jacket in the process. The suit was tailored perfectly for him. It was a simple black three-piece suit and he looked amazing in it. On his face were a pair of aviator sunglasses and she noticed that he'd gotten a haircut since that morning when she'd last seen him. His head was very closely shaved, resembling how he'd looked the night they first met. He walked up the steps and stood on the one just below her making them eyelevel. He took her hand in his and removed his glasses. As she stared into is hazel eyes, she got a little breathless.

"You look beautiful Rachel." Rachel bit her lip with a smile and laughed nervously.

"Thank you Noah." She slipped her hand out of his and ran it over his head. She felt the short soft bristles beneath her fingertips and smiled. "Is this my surprise? Your haircut?" Noah laughed and nodded his head. "I love it." She stood there for a moment, just running her hand back and forth over his head.

"Babe you are _wearing_ this dress." Rachel turned around slowly so he could get the full effect and giggled at the appreciative noise he made in response. "Seriously, remind me to thank Kurt when I see him tonight." He fingered the necklace and said, "this thing looks a lot better on you than it did when T sent me the picture of it." Rachel watched as his eyes drifted over her and the dress until he saw the clutch in her hand. "Is that…" Rachel held it up and nodded her head.

"The purse that started it all? Yes it is. I wasn't even thinking about it when Kurt and I designed the dress but I brought it tonight on a whim. It matches perfectly." He grabbed her around the waist and held her body against his so he could kiss every bit of gloss from her lips. Without having to think about it, Rachel brought her arms around his neck and kept her mouth locked on his. When they pulled away from each other, he helped her down the steps and opened the door for her. She was really enjoying his chivalrous side.

When he shut her door and went around to get in on the other side, Rachel felt an unfamiliar shuttering in her stomach. It was queasy and butterflies and nauseous all rolled up into a ball in her gut that made her feel like she needed to just jump from the car before it moved away from the curb. Noah slid in and shut the door, making her head snap around. He looked at her funny.

"What's wrong Rach? You look like you're gonna throw up or something." Rachel shook her head, unsure whether or not she would indeed vomit in the floorboard of the expensive limousine.

"I think, I think I might be nervous." She swallowed but it didn't do any good. Her throat felt like it was starting to close up. "I don't understand; I never get nervous." The car started moving down the street and Noah slid across the seat as close as possible to her. His lips passed over her neck quickly before she turned her head to look at him again. "Noah what are you doing?" He moved her hair out of the way and tugged gently on her earlobe with his teeth before answering.

"Taking your mind off of it. You can't be nervous if you're concentrated on not screaming." While he'd been talking, his hand was slowly inching her dress up past her knee. "Remember the first cast party you took me to? I got rid of your nerves then. I can do it again." Rachel swallowed thickly, suddenly very aware that the only thing separating them from the driver was a sheet of darkened plexi-glass. When her hips rose off of the seat without her permission, allowing Noah to push the dress even further up her body, she gasped at how much control he seemed to have over her body without even trying.

"Noah, the driver," she whispered harshly. He just chuckled and looked towards the glass partition.

"Can't see or hear us babe. You wanna forget your nerves right?" His fingers teased her upper thigh and her breath became shallow. She leaned her head back against the headrest of the seat and could feel her hesitation at the idea melting away. Noah's fingers kept going up and down her thigh, waiting for permission to continue higher. She had to admit that when he'd started his attentions, she instantly forgot the nerves she'd felt earlier. That idea definitely appealed to her.

"Okay Noah," she complied. She attempted to answer further but the second those two words left her lips, Noah instantly trailed his fingers along her panty line, teasing her entrance. In that moment, she was immensely happy that she hadn't worn pantyhose. Rachel gripped the bunched up skirt in her hands, glad that any possible wrinkles that might result from their activities would be hidden by the ruffles. Her breathing became shallow when she realized that he was tugging her panties down her legs instead of just moving them to the side as she'd expected him to do. Her eyes got bigger but he just laughed and pressed his lips to hers.

"Don't worry about it babe. I got you covered." Rachel didn't have a clue what he meant by that since she was very much exposed at the moment but she forgot about that when his hand returned to her. He pressed two fingers into her quickly and curled them. She bit down on her lip and turned what would have been a strangled cry into a wanton moan. Noah swirled his thumb around her clit while scissoring his digits inside her. Goosebumps broke out over her arms when his lips brushed just under her earlobe. "You're close baby." The intensity was building, so much that it felt like she would combust from the inside out. He was right, he was always right. It wasn't until he curled his fingers once more and stroked the pad of his thumb roughly against the tense little bud that she released the plea for release she'd been holding in. It was positively deafening in the confined space of the limo but Rachel didn't even care. Noah kept pumping his fingers into her body, dragging her orgasm out until she fell back against the seat in exhaustion.

A few seconds passed before he removed his hand out from under her dress. Still caught in the sexual haze, Rachel grabbed his hand and sucked both fingers into her mouth. As she tasted herself on him, all thoughts of nerves and butterflies were long gone. He pulled his fingers past her lips with a grin and leaned in to press his mouth to hers. "Feel better," he whispered against her lips. She didn't bother to respond, opting instead to pull his face to hers and kiss him in gratitude.

They pulled apart and Rachel grinned at the pink tinge on his lips from her lip gloss. "Thank you Noah. I don't think anyone can get rid of nerves quite like you." He handed her panties back to her with a small shrug and a smirk. She snatched them out of his hand and stepped back into them. Once they were pulled back into place, Noah helped her readjust her dress so that she wouldn't be flashing anyone once they got to the red carpet. She smiled as he slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. She took her lip gloss out of the clutch purse and reapplied it before leaning into his body. She was at home there. That's when she realized that even if she didn't win that night, she could still leave happy.

"Love you Rach," he whispered. Rachel sighed as she felt his fingers play a melody on her arm.

"Love you too Noah."

The rest of the ride was spent in excited conversation. Rachel told Puck about the other awards ceremonies she'd been to in the past so he'd know some of what to expect once they got there. Before they knew it, the car was slowing down. The partition separating them from the driver lowered and the man turn his head.

"We're in the lineup now Miss Berry. Just another few minutes." Rachel took a deep breath and waited for her heart rate to speed up again. But all she felt was the usual excitement she got from being at the Tony awards. She looked at Noah and grinned.

"Almost there Noah, I can't believe it. This is incredible." Her excitement wasn't exactly rubbing off. Puck suddenly started worrying a little bit about what he was supposed to actually do. Just stand there and hold her hand? What if someone asked him a question? "Noah, stop worrying. You'll walk with me, if they ask you questions, you answer them truthfully." He looked at her and saw the calm smile on her face.

"Did I just say all that out loud?" Rachel shook her head.

"No, I just know that look on your face." Puck exhaled heavily and felt her lips press against his cheek.

"Babe, what if I say something stupid and embarrass you?" At first she thought he was joking but quickly realized he wasn't.

"Noah, _that_ is stupid. Think about what we just did, in the back of the limo that's taking us to the _Tony Awards_. There's no way in hell that you could ever embarrass me. We're in this together. Besides, this isn't my first rodeo. I'll walk _you_ through it while you walk _me_ through it. We'll be fine." His fears seemed to dissipate from her words as the car came to a stop. Showtime!

Rachel could tell that the flashbulbs from all the cameras caught him off guard when they got out of the limo. She slipped her hand into his and whispered to him to smile. That seemed to remind him that she was there with him and wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Noah turned his head and his demeanor went from threatened to calm in a matter of seconds. He grinned and held her hand just a little tighter and they began their first walk down the red carpet.

Puck figured out that if he just smiled and looked happy to be there, which actually wasn't that hard to do with Rachel on his arm, the whole thing would go by really fast. Before he knew it, Rachel had answered the same questions a billion times over, they'd posed for a billion more photos together and apart (he still couldn't figure out why they wanted his picture but whatever) and then they were inside.

Rachel got more excited as the night wore on. Both Kurt and Jason had won their categories and many of the supporting cast had also been recognized. She knew her category was coming up soon and she kept telling herself not to get ahead of herself. She didn't want to be one of those actresses that was so sure she would win that she ended up getting up when her name wasn't called. She'd seen that happen before. All that was separating her from finding out if she would indeed carry on her record was a performance from _La Cage aux Folles_. It wasn't long before the feathers were gone and her breath started coming in short puffs of air. As the presenters walked onto the stage, she felt Noah lace his fingers through hers and just like that, she was breathing normal again.

When she heard her name called, it was like everything slowed down. Noah actually jumped up with her and pressed his lips to her forehead. As she was walking up the aisle towards the stage, it actually hit her that she would be going home that night with a tenth Tony award _and_ the love of her life. Her speech started out with "wow, now I think I have everything." She was pretty sure she did.

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	17. Chapter 17

**a/n: Okay, this is a short chapter compared to the others but I think you'll forgive me. I don't own Glee, "Come on Get Higher", or "On a Day…" but you should totally listen to those songs when reading the parts they're included in. Like all the songs I use, I chose them for a reason. To everyone that helped me with dresses, flowers, general wedding craziness required for this chapter, thank you so much. This chapter is yours. On with the nuptials.**

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Ancaster Mill was one of the most beautiful places Rachel had ever seen. After two months of searching, Santana and Tina had finally chosen a location for their wedding. Rachel's understudy was only more than happy to take over the role for the days she would be out. But, even as she found herself surrounded by the rock walls, waterfalls, and spectacular architecture of the quaint old mill, she couldn't get away from the sick feeling in her stomach. It was the weirdest thing. She'd been sick once back in high school but that was it. She took her health very seriously so when the wave of nausea had hit the second she stepped off the plane in Ontario, it took her by surprise. At the time, she chalked it up to airplane food but now, the day before the wedding, it was really starting to get on her nerves. A doctor's visit was looking to be in the cards when she got back to New York.

She laid back on the bed of her suite and took a deep breath. She loved her friend to death but Santana was starting to become a little bit of a bridezilla. Mike and Brittany had come in the day before so that Mike could carry out the last of his best man duties before the wedding. Something with the club had detained Noah but he was supposed to be headed up as soon as possible. On cue, his ringtone started going off from her phone in her pocket. As quickly as possible, she answered his call.

"Noah you have got to get here before I kill my best friend." She heard him snicker on the line before he responded.

"I don't get a 'hello' or anything now?" Rachel rolled her eyes only to hear him say, "don't roll your eyes at me babe. And really, Santana's kind of a bitch already. Did you expect her to suddenly be nice?" His voice seemed to echo at the last bit and she looked around the room.

"Are you in a bathroom at the airport or something?" His answering chuckle echoed as well.

"Is it 'weird question time' already? Why would you ask that?" Rachel couldn't figure out why he was being deflective.

"Your voice is echoing. Where are you?" Just then, she heard a knock on her door. "Hold on Noah, someone's here. I swear if it's Santana kvetching about one more thing, I will scream." She opened her door and there he was. Bag slung haphazardly over one shoulder, aviators perched on his nose, and smirk in place, there he was. She dropped her phone in the floor as he grinned.

"Yiddish? You must be seriously pissed if you're bringing out the _mam'eh_ _loshn_." Rachel quickly wrapped her arms around his neck with a tiny squeal. With his free arm, Puck held her close and smiled into her hair.

"I thought you had stuff at the club to take care of before you could come up. I wasn't expecting you until tonight." She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into the room. He laughed as he dropped his bag on the floor and removed his sunglasses.

"I may have rushed through a couple contracts and gave everyone a paid vacation for the next couple of days so that I could catch an earlier flight. I wanted to surprise you. Plus I figured I could help out or something." Rachel felt like crying, which pissed her off. He was just being considerate, not exactly a new thing. So where the hell were the waterworks coming from? She sniffled as he placed his hand under her chin so she would look up at him. "Babe, you okay?" Rachel gave him a watery smile and nodded her head.

"I'm fine Noah, I think all the wedding stuff is getting to me or something. Won't you lose money, closing the club down like that?" Puck just shrugged his shoulders and kissed her lips sweetly.

"Eh, the club's fine. And money's money. Tina's like my sister and this is her wedding. The woman she's marrying is basically your sister. My family comes first babe, before any business. Always will." He brushed her tears away with his thumbs and smiled. Rachel wrapped her arms around his waist and just stood there hugging him.

"I'm so glad you're here. You've got to keep me from killing one of the brides. I knew that being a maid of honor wasn't going to be easy but I never thought Santana would be this bad. I've known her my entire life Noah. She's literally gone crazy. An hour ago, she tried to get me to cut my hair because apparently she found it exhausting to look at. I was torn between either slapping her or telling Tina that she's making a huge mistake in marrying that woman." Puck just laughed softly and held onto her small frame.

"Well just think of the payback you get to have on her when she has to be your maid of honor. You can put her in the dumbest looking dress, make her color her hair purple or something, have her stand in the back of all the pictures so she can't be seen, and give her crazy ass orders about wanting peanut M&M's with walnuts instead. You'll get your chance to give her hell." The way he spoke those words, like a promise masked as a joke, brought another round of tears to her eyes. "Okay seriously Rach, you've cried twice since I've walked in the room. You wanna fool around and release some tension or something." Rachel stared longingly at his jaw for a moment before allowing her eyes to drift down his body.

"Yes," she whined, "but it would be my luck that she would bust in here right when I'm about to orgasm and ruin it all. I feel like the worst friend ever for even thinking this but, Noah I want this wedding to be over already!" He laughed again and kissed her forehead before a banging sound was heard on the other side of her suite door.

"Rachel! Do you have Tina's ring because I think I lost it and if I lost her wedding ring the day before our wedding, I'm going to kill myself." Puck sat down on the edge of the bed as Rachel growled in the door's direction.

"See what I mean," she hissed. He watched as she grabbed a ring off of her bureau and swung the door open. "Santana, Tina's ring is right here. As your maid of honor, it's my duty to keep up with this ring. It's been in my possession since we got here. I will have this fucking thing in my possession until tomorrow when you slip it onto Tina's finger. But I swear, _so help me God_, if you bitch at me one more time about this damn ring, I will shove it down your throat and you won't have to worry about it anymore because you won't live to _see_ your wedding day tomorrow." Rachel's chest heaved up and down for a few seconds before she realized what she'd just said. Both Puck and Santana stared at her, completely shell-shocked at the woman before them, a stark contrast to the Rachel they knew and loved.

"Um, okay, sorry Rach." Rachel nodded her head curtly and crossed her arms. Santana looked around Rachel at Puck still sitting on the edge of the bed. He shrugged his shoulders to signify his girlfriend's outburst surprised him as much as it did her. Santana gave her a soft smile and started, "I'm sorry Rachel. I know I've been crazy these past couple of days and I've taken that out on you. You don't deserve that. I just want this to be perfect, you know? It's my wedding. I'm sorry that I made you the Tokyo to my Godzilla. Please don't kill me." Rachel took a deep breath and couldn't help smiling at her friend's analogy. She released a small groan and went to wrap her arms around the woman's shoulders.

"You're going to be my Tokyo one day, and you'll regret everything you've put me through. I'm sorry I blew up on you though." Puck watched the two women laugh softly at each other and got a little worried. Rachel's moods didn't normally change that quick. He was starting to suspect something was up with her. But at the risk of incurring the wrath of the petite woman in the same manner Santana had done, he decided to keep his mouth shut but keep an eye on her. When it seemed like the girls were on good terms once more, he stood up and cleared his throat.

"Hey San, do you think you can let Rachel off the hook until the rehearsal dinner tonight?" Considering that she was still somewhat reeling from the lashing she'd just received, Santana looked over at Puck at nodded her head quickly.

"Yeah, that's fine Puck. I'm gonna find Tina and see if she wants to go out for lunch." Puck walked over to her and hugged the bride-to-be.

"Thanks. Congratulations by the way. One more day and you're a married woman. How's it feel?" Santana smiled brightly and inhaled.

"Amazing. If you like it, you better put a ring on it. I can't wait for tomorrow." Puck grinned and nodded his head.

"You're not the only one. See you tonight San." He waited for Santana to shut the door behind her before he stepped up behind Rachel. Puck wrapped his arms around her stomach and kissed her shoulder, happy when she relaxed against his chest. "You're gonna drive yourself crazy here babe. Let's get out of here before you get homicidal again. Did you eat anything today?" Rachel mumbled something about eating a croissant earlier in the day and Puck scoffed. "Well that's half the problem. You're trying to battle Santana on an empty stomach. Let's go into town, get some food, and we'll be back here in time for a quickie before the rehearsal dinner tonight. Sound good to you?" She turned around in his arms and stared up at him with a smile on her lips.

"That sounds wonderful Noah. Just give me a minute to change clothes."

As they were walking out to the rental car parked outside, Puck looked over at the ivy covered stone building. The whole place was pretty awesome. Tina and Santana had picked a beautiful place to really start their lives together. It was weird when he thought about it. When the two women had first started dating, he never would've pegged them for the marrying type. But then again, he never would've pegged himself as the marrying type but he really couldn't imagine his life without Rachel in it. He'd actually had a dream on the first night after she'd left for Ontario that he was stepping on a cloth covered glass. That dream had caused him to wake up in a cold sweat, reaching for her small frame only to find that she wasn't there. It'd be a lie to say it hadn't freaked him out just a little.

As Puck parked the car in front of Celli's, the Italian restaurant Rachel had suggested for lunch, Rachel sat there for a second before turning her head to face him. "Thanks for being here Noah." He shrugged his shoulders and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Not a problem babe."

As they sat down inside, he noticed that she seemed a little more relaxed than she was at the mill. He'd noticed how stressed out she seemed when he first saw her up in the suite. It made him wonder just how much crazy she'd had to endure at the hand of Santana over the past few days. She smiled across the table at him when he reached for her hand. As he ran his fingers across her knuckles, he met her eyes. She looked so happy to be with him, calm. He liked that he could have that affect on her.

"All of the parents got here yesterday. Well, technically Santana's parents and Mike's parents. I was a little surprised when Tina told me that it would be Mike's father would be walking her down the aisle. I suppose I can understand though." Puck nodded his head and took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, when her parents kicked her out in high school, they basically told her that she was dead to them. Mike's mom and dad got so pissed about it too. There was this huge family fight over it all and they finally took Tina in. Mike's parents were more family to her than her parents had ever been. As far as I know, her parents don't even know she's alive right now. And they've never tried to contact Mike's side of the family to ask about her or anything. They basically act like they never had her. It's fucked up but, I'm kind of glad it all happened you know." Rachel shook her head and asked,

"What do you mean?" The waitress came back with their food so Puck waited until she was gone to answer.

"Well, before she moved in with Mike, Tina lived in a different school district so she didn't go to school with us. If her parents hadn't of kicked her out, we never would've gotten as close as we are. She would hang out with us on the weekends or whatever just to get away from home but we all got a lot closer when she moved in with the family. I guess it was kind of a blessing in disguise or something. Me and Mike actually hooked her up with her first girlfriend once she started going to high school with us. The three of us have just always been together since then somehow. I'm glad those tightwads aren't coming though. Her and San deserve to be happy on their wedding day and those people would just ruin it. As far as I'm concerned, they may have given birth to her but Mike's parents are her real parents." He liked the way his comment made her smile. That hadn't even been his intention. But then, the tears in her eyes hadn't been his intention either. She dabbed at her eyes with her napkin and laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry Noah. Ever since I got off the damn plane up here, anything remotely sentimental sends me into a whirlwind of either tears or nausea. This is ridiculous." She closed her eyes, willing the tears away with a deep inhale and exhale. When she opened her eyes again, she saw his worried expression. "It's nothing Noah. I'm just coming down with something. All of the wedding stuff just has me on edge at the moment. I'll be fine once it's all over with tomorrow." Across the table, Puck's eyes narrowed skeptically and replied,

"Will you at least go to the doctor when we get back to the city?" Rachel nodded her head and giggled. Puck just shook his head. "Shut up, I'm totally allowed to worry about you." To that, she just took a bite of her salad and smiled.

When they got back to their suite, Puck wasted no time slipping her shirt over her head and laying her down on the bed. She said his name in that breathy whisper he loved so much as his lips passed over her pulse. He was undressed in record time and inside her even quicker. As Rachel rocked her body against his, he listened to the tiny moans she emitted, the way her breaths came out broken and soft, and fell more in love with her with every thrust.

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Rachel smiled as Santana slipped into her dress. It was a rich cream color with a sweetheart neckline. Intricate lavender beadwork adorned the bodice. At the knee, it flared out and the silk stopped short to reveal the many layers of tulle and lace underneath. Santana's dark hair was in an up-do that allowed little tendrils of curls to fall down her back. When she turned to look at herself in the mirror, Rachel reached down and straightened the skirt of her own dress. It was a short turquoise halter dress that had a lace overlay on the skirt. Rachel was thankful that Santana was secure in her self-image and didn't want the other women in her entourage to look bad just to make herself look better. Brittany was in the corner of the room fiddling with her hair. Her dress was the same style as Rachel's but a lighter hue of turquoise.

The way the two brides had worked it was perfect. Mike was Tina's best man and Puck was her 'bridesman' while Santana got Rachel as her maid of honor and Brittany as her bridesmaid. Their positions meant that Mike would walk Rachel down the aisle while Puck walked Brittany. It had instantly become a group joke, as though Santana and Tina were forcing Mike and Puck to switch girlfriends for the night.

Rachel couldn't wait for the ceremony to start. A lot of her impatience had to do with the fact that she wanted to see Noah in his tux. She discovered soon after the Tony Awards that she couldn't get enough of him in a tux. Something about seeing him clean-pressed made her blood boil and her center pulse. He'd refused to get dressed in their suite that morning specifically for that reason. He knew it would drive her crazy. So he'd slipped out before Rachel woke up, leaving her a note that said he was off to Tina's bridal suite until the wedding and he'd see her at the end of the aisle. That note had sent her into tears that she promptly got angry about. All the wedding stuff had seriously started messing with her hormones.

"Rachel, could you come over here a second?" Rachel walked over to her best friend and held her hand out for her to take. Brittany followed and stood at Rachel's side, grabbing Santana's and Rachel's free hands. Santana's eyes watered just a little as she cleared her throat to speak to the two women. "Guys, I'm getting married today. I'm _actually_ getting married today. I can't believe it." Brittany looked up with curious eyes. Rachel interrupted what would have been her question.

"Believe it San. You've found someone that you can spend the rest of your life with. Believe it." Santana smiled and nodded her head. Rachel and Brittany couldn't help giggling at the dazed, in love, smile on Santana's face. "I know you're going to hate me for asking this but do you still have Tina's ring?" Rachel just laughed, remembering her blow up from the day before, and slipped ring off of the ribbon tied around her wrist.

"I've still got it sweetie. Stop worrying about it already." Brittany stared at the ring with a worried expression on her face and delicately lifted it from Rachel's palm.

"Um, Santana, this ring is warped." That sentence should have sent the bride into a tailspin. Luckily, Santana knew exactly what the blonde was talking about.

"No babe, the ring's fine. See, because mine and Tina's engagement rings have pear cut diamonds, we had to have wedding bands specially made so they would fit snug against them. That's why it looks a little funny." Rachel looked over at the ring in Brittany's hand and smiled. It almost looked as though someone had cut a concave divot out of the band. Rachel tied the ring securely on the ribbon again and looked over at the clock on the wall.

The girls had decided to be exceptionally different with their nuptials. Since they both wanted their wedding photos done with the modeling agency they both worked for, they'd chosen to have them done after their honeymoon once they were back in New York. It made the wedding day a little less stressful to say the least. But either way, the clock indicated that it was almost time for the ceremony to begin. Rachel grabbed Santana's veil and, with the help of the much taller Brittany, clipped it into her hair. With a deep breath, she kissed Santana's cheek and said, "Show time."

The room the ceremony was being held in had three entrances. Two on the sides for the brides and one in middle for the bridal parties. Rachel slipped her arm through Mike's and turned her head to see Puck smiling at her. He stepped up and whispered, plenty loud enough for her to hear, in Mike's ear,

"Hey man, you don't try to steal my woman, I don't try to steal yours. Deal?" Mike snickered and nodded.

"Deal." Puck grinned at the face Rachel made and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips just as a stripped down instrumental version of "Come On Get Higher" started playing softly from behind the closed doors in front of them. Rachel gripped her small bouquet of peonies a little tighter and waited for the doors to open.

Mike led her down the aisle to their spots and she turned to see Puck walking Brittany. He looked so handsome in his tux. His hair had already grown out just a little bit since the Tony's but he just looked perfect. She couldn't explain it. Once everyone was in their place and the song faded out, all the guests stood to their feet.

Since she'd already seen enough of Santana over the past few days, Rachel turned her head towards the door that Tina would be coming through. The song the girls had chosen for their march, "On a Day…" by Emilie Autumn, started, Tina and Mike's father appeared in the doorway. Her veil was a simple and short piece of tulle that fell to her chin. The soft white dress was perfect for her porcelain complexion. It was Victorian inspired with a high collar that dipped low into her corseted cleavage. The bodice, like Santana's dress, was covered with intricate lavender beadwork. Layers of lace flowed down the skirt as she walked gracefully, smiling all the way with her eyes trained on the woman she loved.

Rachel felt the moisture starting to gather in her eyes but she blinked it away. As the girls made it to middle of the floor and were handed off by their fathers, Rachel and Mike took their bouquets. The justice of the peace cleared her throat to begin the ceremony as Santana twined her fingers with Tina's.

"The lovely brides have requested to read their own vows to each other for this portion of the ceremony. Tina, if you please." Tina looked at Santana and smiled.

"Santana, when we met, I never would have dreamed that we would end up here. But the first time that you kissed me, I knew that I wanted to keep you around. I felt myself falling in love with you right off the bat because you were different. You didn't fit into the mold of the people I had been with in the past. You didn't try to change me, you just embraced me. You always made me feel like I was the most important person in the room, even when we were in the most crowded places. You have become the most important person in my life, and in my heart. I love you and, I promise you that, if you'll let me, I'll spend the rest of our lives together proving that to you." Everyone smiled at the Asian woman's words. Santana squeezed her hands just a little tighter before she started with her own vows.

"Tina, I love you. For anyone that's known me for longer than five minutes knows that that's kind of a rare thing with me. Before I met you, I had the relationship attention span of a fruit-fly, just drifting from one person to the next before anything got serious. But then you came along, in your leather corsets and thigh-high boots, and I was hooked. You made every person around me just disappear. I knew I was in love with you when I woke up one day and you were the first thing on my mind. I couldn't wait to see you, to be with you. My mom had asked me once how strongly I felt about you and I said, 'she's perfect, and I'm keeping her.' And I am standing here today, to make it official, to really keep you." Santana took a deep breath as she finished her wedding vows. She smiled at her fiancée and turned back to the justice to continue with the ceremony.

"Okay, if anyone present feels there is any reason that these two women shouldn't be joined in marriage, please speak now." The request was met with silence so she proceeded. "Tina, do you take Santana as your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, as long as you both shall live?" Tina cleared her throat and smiled widely.

"I do." The justice smiled and turned to Santana.

"Santana, do you take Tina as you lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, as long as you both shall live?" Santana visibly shook with giggles as she answered,

"I do." With a grin at the giggly bride, the woman said,

"Do we have the rings?" Rachel and Mike stepped forward with the rings and handed them to the brides. Santana slipped hers onto Tina's hand and waited as Tina did the same. When the wedding bands were on, she said, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you wives and you can kiss your bride."

Rachel clapped her hands together as she watched her best friend wrap her arms around her _wife_ and share their first kiss as a married couple. It was heartwarming. She'd never seen her so happy before. As they walked back up the middle aisle with the wedding entourage behind them, Rachel looked back at Puck and smiled. She already felt _that_ happy with him, which only meant it could get better.

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The reception was pretty awesome. Puck watched as Rachel twirled around the dancefloor with Santana a couple more times before the song changed. He caught her mid-spin and stopped her before she crashed into his chest. "Dance with me," he asked. Rachel looked up at him with a light in her eyes and smiled as she draped her arms on his shoulders.

"Always," was her answer. Puck secured his hand at the small of her back and grinned down at her. They danced until the song ended and he motioned for them to go outside. In the cool night air with the sound of the waterfall behind them, he placed his tuxedo jacket over her shoulders so she wouldn't get cold. He just wanted to get her alone for a few minutes before they had to rejoin the reception for the throwing of the bouquets. Rachel stared up at the night sky for a moment before she turned her attention back to the window where she could clearly see Tina and Santana moving slowly to the beat of the song playing. She softly whispered, "They're so happy together. It's beautiful." He noticed the light in her eyes soften as she leaned back on the railing like she'd lost her balance. He steadied her before commenting,

"Easy there killer. How much champagne have you had tonight?" Rachel rolled her eyes and leaned into his side.

"I haven't had any alcohol tonight actually. I've been a little dizzy all day so I figured I wouldn't drink tonight and take a chance on making it worse. The fresh air helps though. You getting me out of this dress later tonight would help a lot more." Puck leaned his head down with a smug smile and pressed his lips to hers.

"I love you Rach." Something about the way he said the words, the soft tone his voice took on, and the night's silence that surrounded them, made them seem so much more powerful than the other times she'd heard them.

"I love you too Noah."

As they each joined the crowd of women and men vying for the best spot with which to capture one of the bouquets to be thrown, Rachel felt the familiar tinge of nausea come back to ruin her night. As the flowers left the brides' hands and the people reached their arms as high as possible, Rachel ducked out just in time to make it to the bathroom before her Linda Blair impersonation ruined her dress. She _definitely_ did not remember eating that.

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Rachel walked into the apartment in a haze. A week had gone by since the wedding and, because of scheduling conflicts, had just gotten around to going to the doctor that day. Truth be told, she'd fully expected the reasoning behind her ailment to be jetlag and homesickness.

Puck walked out from the kitchen and saw her just as she was shutting the door.

"Hey babe, did the doctor figure out what was wrong with you?" It was a simple question, with a simply complicated answer. Puck could see the way her color changed for a second, like she was about to throw up again, but she moved to the couch to sit down instead of taking off for the bathroom. The way she was being eerily silent was really freaking him out. He walked over and leaned over the back of the couch, kissed the top of her head and asked again, "you got the stomach flu or something?" When she still remained silent, he got worried and walked around to sit beside her. "Rachel, what's going on?"

"Noah, I'm…" she trailed off, not really knowing how to say what she had to. Her silence was starting to really bother him. Besides the time she was asleep, he'd never seen her go this long without saying something. Every possible piece of bad news she could give to him starting flashing through his head and he hated all of it.

"Rachel, what the fuck is going on? Just tell me already." She'll plead temporary insanity for the way she blurted it out, but it was the only word that had been running through her head since she'd left the doctor's office. All other words had been masked, overshadowed, by this one two-syllable word. The single word that made her forget about all of the others. The one that seemed to hold so much power over her now. But, after all, it was the answer to his question. So she finished her sentence.

"_Shvanger_!"

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**p.s. I'm currently in shock right now because just before i posted this chapter, Harry Shum Jr. tweeted me! that makes four members of the cast that have tweeted me and it makes me so happy. The cast is amazing. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review! Hope you understand that last little word there...**


	18. Chapter 18

**a/n: I just want to say that I have the best, absolute best, readers I could ever hope for. You guys keep me believing in myself on the days that it starts sucking. For that, I truly can't thank you enough. About this chapter, I hope it measures up to what everyone had in mind for it because I'm pretty proud of it if I do say so myself haha! Please review! I can't believe how close that number is to 500. It's insane. Never could I have imagined that something of mine would get anywhere close to that number. If I get 500, I'll probably cry to be honest. But they'd be happy tears because I'm weird like that. Anyway, I don't own Glee so please enjoy the chapter!**

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Puck felt like his skin was trying to turn itself inside out. _Shvanger_…pregnant…Rachel was pregnant. His girlfriend was pregnant. He knocked up his girlfriend!

"Um, are you sure?" Rachel sat on the couch, wringing her hands in her lap, and just nodded numbly at him. He stared at her for a few minutes, trying to keep his heart both from stopping in his chest and running into overdrive. "What, how, uh, you're on the pill." Rachel finally turned to look at him then.

"It's not one hundred percent effective. And we stopped using condoms months ago. I just, I don't know what do to now." The room started closing in on him and he couldn't breathe. "Noah, I don't know what to do."

"Yeah, me either." The two of them sat in silence for about ten minutes, just staring at the blank TV screen. Then Rachel stood up and looked down at him. With a shaky voice, she said,

"I need to go lay down." Puck nodded his head again and watched her walk away. When he heard the bedroom door close, he collapsed on the couch with his hands over his face. What the fuck was he gonna do? Rachel was pregnant, with _his_ kid. Did she want to keep it? He knew that her career was important to her and this could be considered a serious roadblock.

After a few more minutes had passed sitting on the couch with a racing mind and heart and he decided that the room was getting just a little too small for his comfort. As quietly as possible, he walked down the hall and opened the bedroom door slowly, peaking in to see Rachel lying on the bed with her arm up over her eyes. Her chest was moving up and down evenly, so he guessed she was asleep. Probably exhausted from all the throwing up she'd been doing lately. Throwing up because of _his_ _kid_ inside her. He walked back into the living room, grabbed his keys to the club, and headed through the door.

He didn't bother with the elevator, opting instead for the quicker stairs, typing out a short text to the sleeping woman in the apartment that he had to go get some things and he'd be home later. Once he was out on the street, the air that he'd craved back in the living room wasn't easing his lungs like he'd thought it would. He pushed the speed dial for Mike and waited impatiently for his friend to pick up the phone.

"Yo what's up man," he answered on the third ring. Puck started walking quickly down the sidewalk in the direction of the club and bit out,

"Meet me at the club right now. I'm in deep shit man." He hung up before Mike could respond, knowing his friend would be there in no time just by the tone he'd used.

He made it to the club in record time and went around to the back entrance. Once he was inside, he made a beeline for the bar. Forgoing any glass, he opened a bottle of Jack and took a good long pull. The familiar warmth eased its way down his throat and he took a deep breath, still somewhat worried that he might be having a heart attack. Puck stood there for a few minutes, white knuckle grip on the edge of the bar, taking a slow swig every few seconds. Before a good buzz had a chance to sink in, he heard the front door open. Looking up, he saw Mike walking over to him with longer strides than usual. The worried look on his friend's face wasn't as comforting as he thought it'd be.

"Dude, what's going on?" Puck shook his head and placed the bottle to his lips once more. "Is something wrong with—" Puck slammed the bottle down on the bar with a pained groan, silencing the confused man across from him.

"I got Rachel pregnant," he whispered, saying it for the first time out loud. Mike let out a low whistle and moved to sit on one of the bar stools in front of him.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Releasing a humorless laugh, Puck leaned down so his forehead lightly hit the bar's cold hard surface.

"I don't have a fucking clue." He breathed in and out for a few seconds, waiting for advice of any kind to flow out of Mike's mouth. When he was met with silence, he stood up straight and took another drink. "How the hell am I gonna be a dad? My own damn dad didn't even stick around when I was a kid! I don't know the first thing about being a father." He paused for a second, his eyes flitted around the darkened club, and he tried to take a shallow breath. "What if I'm just like him? What if I end up leaving when shit gets hard and I'm no better than the asshole that left his family because he couldn't handle it? I can't be that guy Mike. I can't fucking be that guy." Mike leaned over the bar and grabbed the whiskey bottle out of Puck's hand and quickly screwed the lid back on.

"Alright, no more alcohol for you. You're talking crazy now." Puck stared at him for a second. _That_ was his sage advice? No more booze. He really needed to find new friends. "Dude, have you even talked to Rachel about this?" Puck looked down, refusing to meet Mike's eyes and groaned.

"No, when she told me, we were both just kind of shocked I guess. She went to the bedroom and fell asleep and I came here." Mike rubbed his hands through his hair and scooted himself a little closer to the bar.

"Okay, first of all, I know you man. You're not your dad, not even close. When he left, you stepped up. You had to be the man of the house for your mom and baby sister. You helped raise Rebecca. You took shitty jobs around town to make money so that you could help your mom with the bills. No kid should ever have to go through what your family went through but you _did_ man, and it made you stronger. Because you know what it feels like, you would never put another person through that. Hell, our first week in New York almost killed you because you were so fucking worried about Dianna and Rebecca the whole time. You don't leave people behind man, especially people you love." Mike stopped talking long enough for his words to really sink in to his friend's thick skull. He shrugged his shoulders and added, "besides, think of leaving Rachel. I mean _really_ think about it. Forget about her being pregnant for a second and just consider leaving her."

Tears stung at the corners of Puck's eyes and he shook his head furiously to get the image out of his head. "I can't do it man." To that, he was met with a grin from across the bar.

"I know. And that's why you're not gonna be a damn thing like your dad. You love Rachel more than anything, and I'm willing to bet that you're gonna love that baby just as much or more. So, quit worrying about whether or not you're gonna end up like him. You're already more of a man than he ever was when he was alive." Suddenly, the relief that Puck had been expecting out on the street from the air outside washed over him. He loved Rachel, and leaving her was the farthest thing from his mind. He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. Waking up with her curled into his side every morning was better than anything he could imagine and he'd be damned if he let himself fuck up and let that get away. Puck sat his elbows down on the bar and breathed in, noticing how much easier it seemed already.

"Rachel's pregnant," he said simply now. It wasn't such a scary word anymore. But then his earlier thoughts came back. "What if she doesn't wanna keep it? _West Side Story_ is about to close but I know there's other shows that she was planning on auditioning for after that. She can't work that much if she's pregnant." Mike nodded his head and thought for a second.

"You gotta talk to Rachel about that, dude. But you should probably do that soon. How far along is she?" Puck shrugged his shoulders and took another deep breath.

"Maybe a month or so, I'm not really sure. We didn't exactly get that far into a conversation about it." Mike chuckled and shook his head before reaching across the bar and shoving Puck's shoulder.

"Go home stupid. Get your girl and figure all this out. You'll be fine." Puck laughed and nodded his head.

"Better not go home empty handed." A devilish smirk covered his friend's face and he reached down to grab the bottle of Jack at his side.

"Put this up and let's get out of here. I know the perfect place."

Before Puck knew it, Mike had him pulled out of the club and into a cab. It wasn't long before he was standing on the sidewalk and staring in the window of some place called Babesta. "Dude," Puck asked Mike once he was finished paying the driver, "what is this place?" Mike clapped him on the back and laughed.

"Puck, only the most badass of babies shop here. Come on man, buy something for Rachel and the baby so you can show her that you're serious." Puck grinned, marveling at the genius of his friend. Just then, a onesie in the window display caught his eye. It was white with black and red lettering that said "Product of SUPERIOR Genes". He imagined a little dark-haired cute-as-hell baby crawling around the apartment wearing it, proving the words true by being awesome, and it made him smile. He decided right there that his kid was the only one deserving of it.

They could do this. He was sure of it now. Convincing Rachel was next, right after buying that onesie and some more baby shit at Babesta.

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Rachel groggily opened her eyes and looked around the room. The clock indicated she'd been asleep for almost two hours. There was no noise coming from the rest of the apartment so she guessed that Noah had needed some air after hearing the news. She couldn't really blame him. She laid back and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before grabbing her phone out of her pocket to check if he'd texted her while she'd been asleep. Sure enough, there was one unread text message from him stating that he need to get a few things and would be home later. Her hand drifted down to her stomach and that's when she realized, oh yeah there's a baby there now. Sitting straight up in the bed, she dialed the first person she thought of in situations where she didn't have a clue on what to do.

"_Chica_, I am on my honeymoon. Somebody better be dead." Rachel would have laughed had she been calling under different circumstances.

"Santana, I'm pregnant." She heard something clatter to the floor in the background and wondered what her friend had been doing before she called.

"Well shit, I guess that works too. When did you find out?" Rachel took a deep breath before she answered.

"A couple hours ago. Santana, I'm scared." She started crying and found herself wishing that her friend was there to comfort her. Or preferably, a certain man with strong, muscular arms that he could wrap around her and make every problem in the world disappear.

"Alright Rach, what are you afraid of?" The small woman thought about it before saying anything.

"I don't know how to be a mother." Santana made a noise of disagreement but Rachel continued. "I'm serious Santana. I was raised by two men. I've never had a mother figure in my life. The woman I met when I was sixteen, though biologically my mother, is hardly an acceptable point of reference. I don't know what I'm gonna do when this baby comes and I'm terrified that, because I didn't grow up with any real female role model, I won't have a shred of maternal instinct. What am I going to do?" After her small speech, the woman on the other line just scoffed and replied simply,

"Bullshit Rachel. That's total bullshit. First of all, between the two of them, your dads have more maternal instinct than Mother fucking Teresa. And seriously, when we played house when we were little, you were always the mom. You've had maternal instincts since you could walk. You've always mothered me so I know for a fact that you have maternal instincts. Cooking, baking, kissing booboos, singing lullabies, Rach you've been doing that shit for forever. You're like a hotter Jewish June Cleaver okay? So just calm down about that because you have nothing to worry about in that area honey." The assured tone in Santana's voice made her less jumpy about the entire situation. "Have you told Puck he's gonna be a dad yet?" Rachel let out a groan.

"Yes but we haven't really talked about it yet." Santana whispered something and Rachel heard a faint squeal. She guessed that her friend had just delivered the _good_ news to her wife.

"And why is that?" That question was met with another groan as Rachel kicked her legs over the side of the bed and started to pace the bedroom.

"Because, I was kind of in shock when I told him and then he was in shock so we just kind of sat there and stared at the television. I've been constantly throwing up so I was exhausted. I fell asleep in our bedroom and when I woke up, he'd left me a text message saying that he would be home later." Rachel could practically see the woman shaking her head.

"Rach, you don't tell a guy you're pregnant and then leave him to deal with it by himself. He's probably freaking out just like you are. This is something you guys have to deal with together. It's happening to both of you." She got annoyed at the condescending tone in Santana's voice at the last sentence and snapped at her.

"I know that," she clipped. "It's just that, what if he doesn't want to keep it?" Again, Santana scoffed at her. That sound was really starting to grate on her nerves.

"That's bullshit too. If you want to keep it, he'll want to keep it. You know that. You two are crazy in love, and that crazy is just gonna make you guys amazing parents to a lucky baby that's gonna have the weirdest family unit on the face of the planet." She furrowed her brows and breathed out.

"What does that mean?"

"Think about it Rach, just from your side the kid's gonna have two grandfathers right off the bat. And Puck's mom and little sister are gonna go crazy about this. Not to mention you've got me and Tina, Mike and Brit, and then all of the theatre people in the world that are gonna be showering this kid with love before it even gets here. You guys aren't alone in this. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Babe, we've got a whole damn city." Rachel wiped the tears that had gathered on the edge of her lashes away and smiled. Santana was right. She took a deep breath and nodded her head, despite the fact that Santana couldn't see her.

"You're right San. Thank you. For everything. I'm sorry for interrupting your honeymoon." Santana laughed and said,

"I think I'll let you slide for this one. Just don't let it happen again," she warned in jest. Rachel giggled.

"Bye San. I love you, and tell Tina I love her too. You girls have fun."

After hanging up the phone, she felt oddly at ease. Noah's words from their time in Canada came back to her mind. _"My family comes first babe, before any business. Always will."_ With those words firmly in her mind, she opened the bedroom door and walked to the kitchen. If she was eating for two now, she was going to do it right.

About an hour later, Rachel was stirring a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup on the stove with one hand while the other hand rested absently on her abdomen.

Puck walked into the apartment and immediately smelled the air. Jewish Penicillin, one of his favorites. Then he felt bad that Rachel had had to cook for herself without him there. He quickly put all of his bags on the dining table and followed his nose into the kitchen. She looked up when he was in the doorway and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry Rach. I had to clear my head a little bit." Rachel laughed softly and nodded her head.

"It's okay Noah. It's a lot to process. But I think we should talk about it now." Puck nodded his head and stepped over closer to her. He waited for her to put the lid back on the pot of soup before he tilted her chin up and slanted his lips over hers. Her arms went around his shoulders and he felt her fingers thread through his hair. In that moment, he just knew that whatever happened, they'd be okay. She pulled away slowly and moved her hands down his arms.

When Puck tugged her out of the kitchen and back into the living room, Rachel noticed all of the bags on the table.

"What are all the bags for?" Puck just laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"I told you I had to get some things. I'll show you later. Come on babe." They both sat down on the couch facing each other and Rachel took a deep calming breath. "Alright, I knocked you up. First things first, do you want to keep the baby?" Without any reticence or hesitation, Rachel answered,

"Yes." The relieved smile she was met with warmed her whole body. He wanted this baby too. That's when she realized that she really wanted this child, their child.

"Alright then. What about _West Side_? You've still got a couple weeks left before the show closes. Is it safe for you to keep performing?" Rachel's eyes widened a little when he said that. She was surprised, not just by the fact that Noah was the first to bring it up, but by the fact that she hadn't even thought of it in the first place.

"Um, well, I'll have to ask my doctor about that. I'll probably have to leave the show though just to be safe." She found it odd that that sentence was so easy to say. This was her dream role. A role that, had she thought of leaving at any other time, would have killed her. But something in the last few hours, it was like a switch in her mind was flipped and her priorities shifted. She suddenly wanted to do whatever she could to ensure that her baby was safe.

Puck furrowed his brow and looked at her for a moment. She was serious. She would leave the show of her dreams for the sake of their child. "Are you sure you'd be okay with that? I mean, I want the two of you to be safe and everything but I don't want you to have any regrets or anything. Leaving that show is pretty big." Rachel nodded her head with a small smile.

"I know that Noah. And if the doctor tells me that I can continue until the show closes, I will be more than happy to do just that. But, if they say that I should leave the show for the safety of my baby, of _our_ baby, I'll do it. No regrets. It isn't like I would be leaving with nothing. That role won me a tenth Tony award. But what I'd be leaving _for_ means so much more." Puck released a breath he'd been holding in and reached forward to wrap his arms around her small frame. He spoke into her hair, trying to choke back the tears that threatened to spill over his eyes.

"I fucking love you Rachel. You don't even know right now." Rachel giggled and hugged him back, now sniffling from her own tears. He sat back and quickly brushed her hair away from her face before pressing his lips to her forehead. "I promise you that I can be a good dad to our baby. I'll do whatever it takes. And honestly, I don't have a clue how to do that right now but I can learn. I'm not going anywhere Rachel. I'm gonna be right here with you the whole way through." Rachel stared at him for a moment, noticing the urgency in his voice, like he was worried that she wouldn't believe him.

"Noah, I didn't think you were going to leave me. You are nothing like the person that ran out on your family. I know that. You are a good man, and I know that you're going to make an even greater father." Puck inhaled sharply, somewhat surprised that she could see right through him so easily. It wasn't like it was a subject they brought up all the time, but she'd known exactly what his fear was. He smiled at her and replied,

"So that means you also know that you're gonna be a kickass CJM even though you didn't have one growing up? Because _I_ know it babe." Rachel pursed her lips into a tight line to ward off the tears again and breathed through her nose for a minute before she nodded her head.

"You know we're insane right? How are we going to raise a child?" Puck scooted closer with a smile on his face and hugged her body close to his.

"Hey don't worry about it. I still have most of my Legos from when I was little. We can totally raise a kid." To that, Rachel laughed into his shirt and he looked down just in time to see her roll her eyes.

"Noah you should really stop watching 'That 70's Show' so much." When she sat up straight again, her eyes landed once more on the bags that he'd left on the table. "Can I see what's in the bags now?" Puck chuckled and got up, helped her to her feet, and then walked over to the table. Before he reached into the bag to show her his Babesta purchases, he said,

"Alright, I figured it'd be a bad idea to come home empty handed so Mike took me to this kickass baby shop downtown and I got all sorts of cool baby crap. Check this out." Puck pulled the 'Product of SUPERIOR Genes' onesie out of the bag to show her first. Rachel's hand flew to her mouth as she started giggling.

"Oh my god, Noah that's amazing! It's perfect." He handed it to her so she could get a closer look and declared,

"It's fucking true is what it is." He watched as she ran her fingers over the lettering with a tiny smile on her face and he knew that he'd done good. Reaching in to grab the other onesie he'd found, he said, "I got this one mainly for you."

Rachel looked at the onesie in his hands and almost burst into tears on the spot. It was white with little gold stars all over it. No words, nothing particularly special or unique about it, but it was incredible.

"Noah", she whispered breathily, "you spectacular man. Thank you." Puck just handed her the onesie and stuffed his hands into his pockets with a smirk.

"Well I figured, since I didn't know if you'd want to keep it or not, I'd get some stuff to kinda convince you that we should. And since we don't know what the kid is yet, I figured the stuff I got should be good for a boy or a girl. I got this little teething ring thing that's like music notes and stars and instruments and," he was stopped short by Rachel tossing the garments back in their bags and deliberately invading his space. "I guess you don't wanna see the rest of the stuff I got." Rachel grinned up at him and shook her head.

"We can do that later," she whispered again. He loved that sound almost too much. "But right now Noah, I want the father of my baby to make love to me." She trailed her fingertips up his chest and around his head to the base of his neck. Raising herself up on her toes, Rachel pressed her mouth to his. He responded instantly by pulling her body flush against his and teasing his tongue along her lips. That's when she whispered again, "make love to me Noah." Puck knees almost buckled out from under him before he really knew what was happening. But then he bent down and hooked his arm behind her knees. With one swift movement, she was cradled in his arms, feathering her lips along his jaw line as he made his way down to their bedroom.

After kicking the door closed, Puck placed her gently on the floor. She smiled up at him when she felt his hands back on her hips, pulling her close for a searing kiss. Her hands drifted down his abdomen to the jeans slung low on his hips and began undoing the button and zipper. Rachel pushed them down and broke the kiss long enough for him to step out of them. He lifted her top up and over her head before guiding her back onto the bed, still unmade from her nap earlier in the day. Rachel laid down and her mouth went dry as she watched him pull his shirt up and away from his body. In the soft light of the room, her eyes danced over the hard planes of muscle revealed to her. She wanted to feel his skin under her fingertips as he tossed her through wave after wave of ecstasy. And she knew he would give her that and more. After peeling her own jeans down her legs, he nudged her thighs a little further apart.

Puck watched the way her eyes dilated with love and lust as she stared at him. The way she subtly inched her body closer to the edge of the bed, closer to him, made it even more difficult to not sink into her right then. She reached behind her and released the clasps from her bra. As she pulled the garment away and tossed it over his shoulders, he lowered his gaze to her full round breasts, feeling himself harden a bit more at the sight. He leaned down and took one of the puckered buds between his lips while his hand covered the other. She kept rolling her body beneath him, threading one hand through his hair to hold him in his place. Rachel slid her hand between them, intent on stroking the rock hard flesh against her thigh. As soon as Puck realized her destination, he grabbed her hand and pulled it back up, pinning it gently above her head. He shot her a chastising look before continuing his attentions on her other breast. When her whimpers became too much for him, he left a trail of open mouthed kisses from her breasts to her lips. Without hesitation, Rachel slid her tongue against his and deepened their embrace. He skimmed one hand down her body to rest lightly on her stomach and it hit him, this woman was the mother of his child. Rachel felt the way he stiffened momentarily when his hand stopped on her abdomen. She reached down and placed her hand over his. When he pulled away to look at their hands, she saw the smile on his face.

"God I love you Rachel," he breathed out. Rachel bit her lip at his words, feeling the weight he held behind them.

"I love you too, so much." Rachel couldn't help smiling at him as she said it. When she shifted under him, her leg made contact with his penis once more causing him to hiss. His moved his hand out from under hers and slipped it between her legs. He dipped his finger inside her, gathering some of the moisture and dragging it up to the tensed bundle of nerves. She released her own hiss at the sensation he caused, only to be silenced by his lips on hers. He pulled away for a breath and smirked down at her while hooking his finger. Rachel murmured his name, her voice becoming strangled as she tried to hold in the moan that threatened to escape.

Puck situated his body between her legs and spread her wide. He wanted to hear that moan she was trying so hard to hide. He leaned over and licked a thin stripe up her chest before swirling his tongue around both nipples. Continuing up her body, he placed a gentle kiss to her neck and then moved to her lips again. He waited until she was completely consumed in their kiss before he glided into her heat. Rachel arched her body as she felt him sink inside, feeling him everywhere. It was too much and not enough at the same time. She tried to pull away from his passionately bruising kiss in an attempt to get air into her lungs but he didn't let her go. In this tantalizing heat, she needed to fight fire with fire. Quickly bringing her leg up to his hip, higher still to his shoulder, Puck released her mouth for a startled gasp. It turned to a smirk when he realized what she'd done.

He pulled out to the tip and, as he unhurriedly pushed back in, his hand drifted up the curve of her thigh. Applying a little pressure to that sweet spot on the back of her leg, fingers danced along her calf and held her in place. Rachel wrapped her other leg around his waist and grinned when he was thrown off his rhythm just a little. Her back arched when his thrusts sped up just a little, his pelvic bone brushing against her clit with every slip of his body into hers. She heard someone calling his name and realized after a beat that it was her own voice crying out in pleasure. Rachel's hips moved with his in the same slowed fashion and she could feel her core heating up even more as he pumped into her.

Rachel lowered her leg from his shoulder down to the crook in his arm and rolled her hips, suddenly desperate for the release she could practically taste in the air. "There," she strangled out as he hit a little deeper than before. Noah's lips crashed against hers as he brought her closer to the edge. When his mouth left hers, she pleaded with him, begged for the release her body craved. He sped up more, making her back arch again, and turned his head to whisper in her ear,

"Is this what you want Rachel? Me and a baby, for the rest of our lives?" The tenderness in his voice, and promise of forever in his words, made Rachel clench around him and let her orgasm course through her body. Her eyelids fluttered and she felt his final thrust before the swell of his own release overtook him. Their bodies shuddered together. That didn't stop him from pressing his lips to hers again, leisurely stroking her tongue with his as they rocked through their climaxes.

As she was coming down, Rachel noticed the grip she had on his biceps. Her fingers were curled tightly around the bulging muscles while her nails had dug into his skin leaving little crescents in their wake. Puck slid himself out of her with a small groan and rolled so that he was on his back. He smiled up at the ceiling and then turned his head. Their eyes met instantly, she'd been looking at him, and Rachel laid her arm across his chest in a semi-hug. As he placed an innocent kiss to her forehead, Rachel answered his earlier question.

"Forever Noah, I want forever."

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She handed him the phone and he felt like she was handing him the knife with which he supposed to castrate himself. She'd just got off the phone with her dads, telling them about the baby and making plans so they could come out in time for the closing show of _West Side Story_ and to visit for a bit to help prepare for the baby. Now it was his turn. The worst part of having to call his mother to tell her that he'd knocked up his girlfriend was not having a fucking clue what her reaction would be. At first, he figured she'd be all excited because she would have the perfect Jewish grandchild she'd been dreaming of since the doctors had cut his umbilical cord. But then, knowing how much she adored and respected Rachel, he thought she might get pissed at him for getting her pregnant because she wouldn't be able to work during the pregnancy and it was technically an illegitimate child. Whatever, point was, no matter what her reaction was gonna be, he was not prepared in the slightest. He'd actually given serious thought to letting Mike or Tina make the call. But Rachel shot that idea to hell when she hung up with her dads and shot him that devious smile like she had a plan that was falling into place.

"Just call Dianna, she'll handle it fine. I promise, I'll be right here if you need me." He momentarily considered how fucked up it was that the chick that was up the duff was offering to be strong for him. Hell no! That doesn't mean that he didn't hold her hand as he pressed that godforsaken 'send' button though. As the line was ringing, Puck realized that he didn't have a damn clue what he was going to say. How do you tell your mother that you impregnated your girlfriend, thus making her a grandmother? They don't teach that shit!

"Hello?" Puck panicked when his mother picked up the phone and said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Hey bubbe, I uh, got some news for you…" He trailed off and was met with silence when he'd expected a scream, or at least the sound of her body crumpling to the ground because he'd delivered her with a heart attack. But nothing. And then suddenly, he heard her breathe out slowly. When she finally spoke, every word was painfully enunciated.

"Noah, what did you just call me?" He looked over at Rachel for some kind of clue as to what he should say next but she just sat there staring at him trying not to laugh. Big support system he had going on right there huh?

"Well Ma, see, it kinda goes like this—"

"Is Rachel pregnant?" Puck sighed and just bit the bullet. He figured he would just get it all out in the open, let her chew him up and spit him out about being irresponsible, and then she'd wait until the end of the phone call to congratulate and thank them for the perfect child their union would no doubt produce.

"Yeah Ma, I got Rachel pregnant. We found out a couple days ago. And before you ask, yeah she was on birth control but apparently I have super sperm so that didn't really matter. So yeah, that's about it. And I know you're probably gonna be disappointed in me but me and Rach are actually really excited about this baby so if you could, I appreciate it if you spared me the lecture on responsibility right now." He took a deep breath and looked over at Rachel. She still looked like she was trying not to laugh at him.

"Are you done now son?" Puck's brows furrowed at that.

"Uh, yeah," he replied confused. That's when he heard the expected reaction. The distinct sound of a cell phone dropping to a hard surface rang in his ears. Dianna's screams of 'thank god' and 'my baby boy is having a baby' could be heard after that and he wondered, as he held the phone away from his ear, how she could drop a phone and probably be running around the house yet still manage to be so damn loud. They were in the clear though.

He figured they had at least five more minutes of her screaming so he put his phone on speaker and set it down on the coffee table in front of them. Rachel grinned and snuggled into his side.

"I told you she'd handle it just fine," she whispered. Puck turned his head and caught her lips in a passionate kiss, with his mother yelling in the background.

"Shut up," he playfully retorted. Rolling his eyes at his mother's continued antics, he grabbed the phone and turned off the speaker. "Ma? Ma! Mother! Dianna Puckerman! Dammit woman calm down!" That got her attention. The screaming stopped and he heard her fumbling with the telephone, probably with shaky hands, and she said,

"Oh honey I'm sorry about that. I just got so excited. Now what is this about being disappointed in you sweetie? How could this news make me anything but happy? You kids are in a committed relationship, in love, and you're living together. I'll admit that I would adore for the two of you to get married but I'll certainly take a grandchild in lieu of that. Oh Noah I'm so happy about this. Just wait until I tell your sister she's going to be an aunt! This is just wonderful! Sweetie can I talk to Rachel?" Puck looked over and held the phone out to Rachel. Rachel took it with a laugh, having heard the whole conversation, and sat up.

"Hello Dianna." At the start of their conversation, Puck got up and went to the kitchen. His mouth had gone dry when he first dialed his mom's number and now he really needed some water. He could hear Rachel laughing at something his mom said which made him smile just a little. He chugged a bottle of water and stood in the doorway for a minute before deciding he was hungry. He looked at the clock and noticed that Rachel still had a few hours before she had to be at the theatre. Grabbing another bottle for Rachel, he walked back into the living room and sat down. She smiled at him warmly and took the bottle from him before continuing the conversation. "Alright, tell Rebecca hi for us. Bye _bubbe_." She handed the phone back to him with this cute little grin on her face and said, "I really don't know what you were so afraid of. I think she took the news better than we did." Puck just laughed and shook his head.

"That's because the main reason that woman goes to Temple is to pray for something like this to happen. She's been wishing for a Jewish grandbaby ever since I hit puberty. This is just the final piece in her plan for world domination." Rachel started giggling and fell over on her side but Puck kept going. "I'm not kidding Rachel. She's gonna turn this kid into like, SuperJew or something. The world will never be the same." He pulled Rachel back over so that she was leaning against him and wrapped his arm around her.

"The world will thank us for this baby. He or she will be the most innately talented child alive." He laughed at the certainty in her voice and couldn't help agreeing with the sentiment.

"I'm hungry. You hungry? You wanna meet Mike and Brittney for lunch before you have to be at the theatre? Crazy preggo cravings haven't started yet so you can still eat like a normal person. We haven't been to Ethel's in a long time." Rachel remembered Chocolate & Bacon, the little diner where their group's first breakfast had taken place, and smiled wide at the thought of the affectionate silver-haired owner.

"That sounds great Noah. I'll get changed and you call the dancers." Puck's eyes followed the gentle sway of her hips and ass as she walked down the hall to change clothes. He kept staring even when she looked over her shoulder and caught him. No sense in hiding it, he figured. He caught her staring at him all the time.

Rachel saw Brittany and Mike standing outside the diner when the cab pulled to a stop on the corner. When she got out, the blonde woman started running towards her with her arms open. She slowed down a little when she got closer to her, so as not to tackle a pregnant woman, but still encased Rachel in a tight hug the moment she reached her. Mike followed with his own, less constricting, embrace and a kiss to her cheek.

"Congrats Rach. We're really happy for you guys." Rachel smiled at the man and turned to see Noah arguing with the cab driver.

"Thank you. I think the excitement has really set in for us now. We told our parents this morning. My dads took it a lot better than I thought they would and Dianna was very, ecstatic to say the least." Mike and Brittany started laughing.

"That woman probably shit a happy brick is what happened!" Rachel couldn't help laughing at Mike's statement, she also couldn't disagree with it. Brittany took Rachel's hand in hers and asked,

"So how is Pucklebaby?" No one noticed that Noah had finished his argument with the cab driver and had joined them on the sidewalk until he said,

"What the hell did you just say?" Brittany turned her head to look at him for a second before answering dismissively,

"Pucklebaby, duh. My name for you guys is Puckleberry and now you're having a baby so my name for it is Pucklebaby. See how that works." She turned back around and mumbled, "geez, people say _I_ ask dumb questions." Rachel couldn't help laughing at her friend for being condescending to her boyfriend. It was a situation she never thought she'd see in her life. Rachel giggled as Brittany pulled her into the diner and yelled out, despite there being other patrons in the restaurant, "Ethel! There's a bun in someone's oven and it's not yours!" Rachel instantly turned beet red as all of the customers turned to look at them. Mike immediately stepped up and twirled Brittany away while Noah easily slipped his hand into Rachel's. He made eye contact with a few of the people around them still staring and stage-whispered,

"The blonde chick has Tourette's. Don't worry about it." Rachel promptly elbowed him in the side and stifled a giggle at his rude remark. He ignored her and led her over to the table that Mike had just plopped Brittany down at. Ethel came out of the back kitchen just as Rachel and Noah were sitting down.

"Now what is all this commotion out here about buns and ovens?" Rachel looked up at her sheepishly and smiled. Ethel's eyes widened and she clapped her weathered hands to her chest. "Oh Rachel sweetie! What on earth made you decide to carry this rabble-rouser's spawn?" She heard Noah laugh nervously behind her but she just grinned up at the restaurant owner.

"Well we didn't really decide anything. Just kind of happened." Rachel watched as Ethel swung her arms out in front of her and, before she had time to think, the older woman had her wrapped in her arms cutting off her air circulation with some bizarre strength that quite frankly didn't make any sense at all for the woman to possess. When she finally let go of Rachel, there were tears in her pale eyes.

"This is just wonderful honey. Okay, whatever you kids want, it's on the house. This little lady is eating for two." She ran around the table hugging the rest of them in a flourish before fluttering back to the kitchen. One of the other waitresses came over and took their order with a grin.

After lunch, it was time for Rachel to head to the theatre. Mike and Brittany had already left to go to the dance studio where Brittany taught, leaving Rachel and Noah on the sidewalk. Noah had her pressed gently against the wall beside the door to Chocolate & Bacon, nibbling tenderly on her neck. Rachel couldn't help loving how sweet he was being with her. When he started kissing her, teasing the seam of her lips with his tongue, she bit down on his lip before deepening their _very_ public display of affection. When they both realized the fact that they couldn't really continue in the way they both desperately wanted to, Noah pulled his head away slowly and stared seriously into her eyes.

"Be careful tonight okay? Remember, you feel even just a little bit nauseous, let the understudy do her job and call me. I'll come get you and we'll spend the rest of the night with Sprite and matzos." Rachel smiled up at him with shining eyes and nodded her head. He quickly pressed his lips to the tip of her nose and hugged her close. "Like I said up in Ontario, I'm totally allowed to worry about you." She watched him pause like he was thinking about something and she was about to ask him what was wrong when he smiled and added, "and Pucklebaby too." Rachel tried to tighten her lips against the wide smile that threatened to overthrow her face but gave up quickly and giggled out loud.

"I knew the nickname would grow on you, _Puckzilla_."

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**LOVE IT OR HATE IT, TELL ME IN A REVIEW PRETTY PLEASE!**


	19. Chapter 19

**a/n: Hey guys! So this chapter is pretty short but I like to think it's pretty significant to the rest of the story. I'd just like to thank everyone for reviewing last chapter! It got over 500 really fast and I never dreamed I see that number before. Thank you so so much. Without further ado, (what's an ado?) here's the chapter! I don't own Glee.**

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The show was closing tonight. Puck really hadn't understood it all that well when Rachel and Jason tried explaining it to him when he asked why the show had had such a short run in comparison to most Broadway shows. The producers that Jason had only agreed to fund the show for half of the theatre season and then they were getting pulled. Even with all the support that the show had from fans, it wasn't enough for the producers to extend the contract.

Either way, Rachel's dads were in town for the closing show as both of them had gotten bogged down with work so it would be their first and last time seeing their daughter in the role of Maria. They flew in the night before the show but they wouldn't actually be seeing the two men until after the show that night at the after party. Going full circle, Jason rented out Chase the Morning again for it like he'd done for the premier party. Her fathers were coming to the party to celebrate and Puck was just a little nervous because it would be the first time seeing the men since their first meeting when they showed up to surprise Rachel. At that time however, the relationship was still very new and he'd only been around them for a short time during their visit. This time though, not only were they coming to see Rachel perform but they were coming for their grandchild.

Puck stood outside Rachel's dressing room about thirty minutes before curtain. That night, he'd gotten permission from Jason to be in the wings during the play instead of sitting in the audience. He wanted to be close by in case Rachel needed him for anything. And also, he wasn't really sure that he could be around Rachel's dads for the whole play without ruining his own plan.

Rachel's door opened and Kurt walked out, rolling his eyes.

"Diva is crazy of the bat-shit variety. She insisted that her dress needed to be let out because of her baby bump. She doesn't _have_ a baby bump yet! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to convince that woman of something when she's convinced herself otherwise?" Puck could see how frazzled the man looked but he couldn't help chuckling.

"She's gotten a little bit more headstrong lately," he offered, trying to help just a little. Kurt just huffed and crossed his arms.

"I'll say! I finally just told her she was insane and then she started _crying_. Thank god I'm gay and Jason can't get pregnant. Once I calmed her back down, she was fine. I honestly applaud you Puckerman. What is your secret?" Puck just shrugged his shoulders and moved towards the door.

"I usually just start making out with her. Pretty sure that wouldn't work for you though." Kurt laughed lightly and nodded his head.

"So what are you two planning on doing when the media gets wind of this?" He rubbed his hand through his hair and exhaled.

"I think we'll jump off that bridge when we get to it. I don't really give a fuck about the media though. My concern is for Rachel and our baby. Everything else just isn't that important." The man smiled at him and nodded his head.

"She's a lucky girl. Be sure to let me know when you find out what the sex is so I can start designing baby clothes." Kurt walked off before Puck could reply. Puck just shook his head with a chuckle and opened the door to Rachel's dressing room. As he walked in, she was standing at her vanity and putting lip gloss on. Their eyes met in the mirror and she smiled at him.

"Noah, you're here! I can't believe it's over tonight. This is it Noah. This is the role of my lifetime. But after tonight, I start an even bigger role. I'm going to be a mother. We're going to be parents. I honestly thought that I would be sad tonight, but I couldn't be happier right now. I can't believe how much my life has changed just over the past few months. I wouldn't want it any other way." She looked up at him and then, just before a tear fell, wrapped her arms around him tight. "I love you Noah," she said against his chest. Puck placed a kiss to the top of her head and smiled.

"I love you too Rachel." Just then, there was a knock on her door. Rachel just nodded her head but didn't let go of him to open the door. Puck turned his head and said, "Come in." He turned in time to see Austin walk in and grin at them.

"Hey Puck, I just wanted to talk to Rachel for a few minutes before the show. You mind man?" Puck planted his lips on her forehead before she pulled away with a smile.

"I'll wait outside. Break a leg tonight dude." Puck walked back outside to let the two stars have their moment. He knew it would probably get emotional and he really didn't think he could handle that. He couldn't wait until Rachel started getting crazy horny from her hormones, rather than just crazy weepy. Horny he could handle. He hadn't been lying when he told Kurt that he starts making out with her when she starts crying. The only thing that really worried him about it was that he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to when the baby came and was crying at all hours of the night. He'd go buy a book for that. Hell, he'd even read it too.

Suddenly, Jason walked up looking a little bit frazzled. The director looked up at Puck but didn't seem to really see him and Puck could hear him mumbling something about a lost shoe. Puck tentatively reached out and placed his hand on Jason's shoulder, startling the man for a second.

"Dude, you okay?" Jason stared at him, actually seeing for the first time, and breathed out.

"Just closing night jitters. Are my leads in their rooms?" Puck pointed to Rachel's dressing room and said,

"They're both in there. You sure you're gonna be alright man? You kinda look like Rachel right before she hurls." Jason just laughed but didn't say anything. "Uh, where do you want me to go so I won't be in the way or anything? Last thing I need to do is walk out on stage on accident or something. Oh shit, you did not need to hear that right now. Should I just go find Rachel's dads and sit with them?" Jason laughed again, this time it sounded real, like his jitters had eased slightly.

"Oh lord Puck, I needed that. Whoo, thank you. Actually, Kurt decided that he could use you tonight anyway helping with the costume changes. I'm surprised he didn't tell you after he finished with Rachel. Is that okay?" Puck nodded his head, realizing that he didn't have a freaking clue about costumes or anything related to them except that Rachel looked pretty adorable in hers. "Good, this way you can still be close to the action and make yourself useful to someone other than my star." Jason laughed a little at his own joke and Puck just gave his shoulder a shove in reply. "I'm sure Rachel would not condone petty violence Puckerman. The father of her child should know better. You should go find Kurt though so he can tell you what you need to know." Just then Rachel and Austin walked out of the dressing room and you could tell they'd both been crying just a little. Rachel stepped over to Puck and kissed him soundly on the lips without warning. He looked down at her, a little surprised, and asked,

"What was that for?" Rachel smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Because I can. You got a problem with it?" He heard both Austin and Jason snicker but he met her fierce gaze.

"Nope." Like she'd done in her dressing room, she hugged him and he didn't bother fighting the urge to hug her right back. "I'm being put to work tonight. I gotta go find Kurt." She nodded and Jason got her attention for something so Puck started off in the direction that Kurt had gone. Ten minutes to curtain.

**LINE**

Rachel looked out into the audience and felt Austin take her hand for their final bow together. Their last show had gone perfectly. She hadn't once felt sick during the performance and she liked to think that her baby sensed how important it was to her. Because Noah had been drafted to the costume army, she'd gotten to see him a few times backstage which just made it all impossibly better. Her emotions began to get the better of her as the crowd stood to their feet, the applause almost deafening, and she felt the tears begin to fall down her cheeks. She wanted to remember this night for the rest of her life. Rachel looked over to the side of the stage and saw Noah standing in the wings, clapping like crazy for her and her heart wanted to leap from her chest.

He was the man she loved, had supported her from the beginning of their own love story, and would always be there for her. To add the sweetest cherry on top of their relationship sundae, he was the father her child. That thought made her happier than any Tony award had ever dared. Rachel knew in her heart that she would be with that man until the day she died. Nothing would or could ever change that.

When the curtain finally closed, Rachel found herself in his arms with his lips pressed to hers. Searching her mind for a split second, she couldn't think of a better ending to the night.

It seemed like no time before she was whisked back to her dressing room to change into the dress Kurt had made her for the after-party. It was a very simple red dress that fell to mid-thigh and made her feel beautiful without looking like she was trying too hard. It was also very comfortable for which she was very thankful. She checked her hair and make-up in the mirror before deciding that she looked presentable enough to find Noah and her fathers to go to the club. She didn't have to look far. The second she opened the door, Noah was standing there flanked by Marcus and Alan Berry, all three of them smiling so wide it must have hurt their jaws.

"Oh baby girl," Alan shouted and quickly wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You were so wonderful! Just perfect, the whole thing was perfect of course but _you_ were absolutely stunning and flawless! Your performance was immaculate darling. I just loved it!" The man kissed her forehead as Marcus stepped closer to congratulate his daughter.

"Alan, she's breathing for two now. You probably shouldn't squeeze the life out of her." Alan just scoffed but released Rachel. The larger black man kissed her forehead with a smile. "Sweetie, we're so proud of you. You were beautiful tonight." Rachel quickly wrapped her arms around the broad frame of her dad and smiled into his chest. When she pulled away, she sniffled against the tears threatening to fall once more and laughed.

"You're both coming to the after-party right? Chase the Morning is fantastic. I'm not just saying that because I'm pretty close with the owner either." Her fathers and Noah all chuckled at that. Marcus nodded his head.

"We had planned on stopping by for a bit. Your daddy and I haven't been to a club probably since we first started dating. We'll be spending the day with you kids tomorrow so I'm sure you won't want us there with you all night anyway." Rachel reached over a grabbed Noah's hand, leading all three men to the stage entrance of the theatre where the car was waiting to take them to Chase the Morning.

Inside the club, Rachel wasn't sure what she was more excited about. Her fathers were in town for a few days to celebrate both the show and the baby. The show had gone off without a hitch, aside from the tears she'd shed, some of which had been on purpose and others not so much. She had Noah's arms wrapped protectively around her torso and his lips pressed against her neck as he swayed behind her. And she had his child, their Pucklebaby as everyone had quickly taken to calling the kid, growing inside her. She couldn't figure out how it could get much better. Well, she could definitely think of one way it could get better, but it surprised her that she wasn't really worried about that so much.

She had to laugh when Noah pointed out her fathers on the other side of the dance floor. Apparently, it hadn't been a lie when her dad said that it had been a long time since they'd been to a club. Marcus and Alan Berry were _voguing _to the club's remix of "Genetic Repo Man" from the Repo! soundtrack. It was hilarious! Had it not been so funny, she probably would've been just a little embarrassed for them but the two men seemed to be having a blast making complete fools out of themselves. It was fantastic.

Rachel motioned for Noah to take her to the bar so she could get some water. When she turned on the barstool to look back out into the crowd of people, Noah stayed behind her, muscular arms still securing her to his body. She saw Santana and Tina dancing close to where her fathers were, the women had eyes only for each other. Rachel leaned back against Noah and closed her eyes as she felt his lips press to her temple. It felt right. Everything felt just right.

**

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"Are you serious? She did that?"

Rachel tried to hide behind her hand in annoyance at the sordid details her fathers were giving Noah about her teenage years. The conversation so far had been largely catching up. Marcus and Alan had been very warm towards Noah and Noah had been much less awkward than he'd been the first time meeting the two men. Somehow, in the midst of catching up and just before the talk of the baby started, the dinner dialogue took a frightening turn.

Marcus' deep laughter rang out through the restaurant as he nodded his head towards Noah. "She did! Then after that, she told the boy that if he wasn't man enough to wait for her to be ready, then he certainly wasn't man enough to handle her when she was ready. That kid left our house with his tail between his legs and we never saw him after that. We were so proud of her that night." Rachel just glared at the men across the table from her, and then shot the same glare at Noah once he snickered at her again.

"I hope you realize that once Dianna and Rebecca come back to visit, I am getting every embarrassing story of your childhood out of them. I'm sure there are many. And if there aren't, I'm very sure that Rebecca would be more than happy to fabricate some for me." Noah's eyes widened a little at her low, menacing tone of voice. For a second, he was silent. Then a smile broke out over his face and just chuckled.

"Rach, how was that embarrassing? Some guy tried to make you do stuff you didn't want to do, and you basically kicked him in the nads. That's not embarrassing baby, that's badass. You should be telling that story instead of letting Marcus and Alan get all the credit for it. I know that if Becca did something like that, which she probably has already and I just wasn't told about it, I'd be proud as hell. Besides, there aren't any embarrassing stories from my childhood. I was awesome back then too." Rachel huffed and rolled her eyes, picking her fork up as the desserts were delivered.

Instantly, she was distracted by the smell of white chocolate and raspberry mousse. It was decadent, had far too much sugar than should be consumed by one human being, and looking at it could cause spontaneous orgasms. But hey, she was eating for two and her baby deserved the best. The involuntary moan that passed her lips was apparently hilarious to the three men at the table but she couldn't even bother with being proper. It was _that_ good. A few minutes into their desserts, Alan leaned forward.

"Have you two started thinking of names yet?" Rachel's mouth was full so Noah answered.

"Well, we decided the other night that we want a Hebrew name but that's as far as we've gone." Both men nodded, happy with that answer.

Later that night, the group went back to Noah and Rachel's apartment for coffee (decaf hot tea for Rachel because she'd said something about having not wanting to give the baby ADD in the womb, Puck decided not to mention the fact that she'd basically eaten fluffy sugar for dessert earlier and that if the kid was going to get ADD it would be from things like that, not caffeine) and because her fathers had never been there. Rachel went to the kitchen to start the coffee as Noah led her dads down the hall to show them where they were planning on putting the nursery. The room was his music room but he'd told her the morning after they found out she was pregnant that he wanted to use it for the baby's nursery. She could hear him down the hall, excitedly describing where everything would go once he got all of the current stuff cleared out. It made her smile.

When the three men came back to the living room with their coffee cups, Rachel was already sitting in the middle of the couch sipping her tea and feeling the exhaustion from the day beginning to seep into her body. Alan sat down on one side of her, Noah on the other side, and Marcus took up the comfy chair closer to the television.

"So," Alan began, "is Santana going to be helping you pick out maternity clothes when the time comes?" Rachel grumbled into Noah's shoulder. That was the one thing about her pregnancy that she wasn't looking forward to at all. Maternity clothes, ugh.

"I don't even want to think about that daddy. If I have to, I'll just commission Kurt to create an entirely new wardrobe for me. I refuse to wear something that looks like a circus tent swallowed me but I have yet to see many maternity outfits that resemble anything else. I'll probably look like I'm trying to smuggle a turkey out of a grocery store. My stomach is going to enter a room ten minutes before I do. My boobs will get bigger but I highly doubt you'll have a problem with that. Noah, I'm gonna get fat!" Noah couldn't help laughing at the whiny hysterical tinge her voice had at the last sentence. He licked his lips and noticed the way her fathers seemed to be watching intently to see if he would end up digging himself into a hole.

"Well," he shrugged, "you know what they say about fat bottomed girls, right?" His question was met with a blank chocolate stare and he chuckled again. "They make the rocking world go 'round babe." Rachel rolled her eyes but her dads at least thought it was funny. Marcus even nodded, and he was pretty damn proud of that.

"Queen? Really Noah? You're quoting Queen? My fathers already love you. Don't you think it's a little pointless to kiss ass now?" Alan snapped his fingers and bit his lip to keep from laughing too hard and risk being on the receiving end of his daughter's glare again that night. Noah just placed his arm around her shoulders and disagreed.

"Hey, I knocked up their only daughter. I'm taking brownie point wherever I can get them." Rachel had to laugh at that statement, and applaud him for wanting to be on her fathers' good side. Although, she knew just from watching the way they'd interacted with Noah over the course of the past few days since the play's closing night that they adored her baby daddy. It put her at ease.

After about an hour, Rachel was fighting to keep her eyes open during Noah's argument with Marcus over some sports thing she'd zoned out of from the beginning. She yawned and dozed off for a second only to be startled awake by Noah's booming voice asserting whatever point it was he was trying to make. That made her decision.

"Okay boys, I'm exhausted so I'm going to bed. Could the three of you please keep it down out here?" She walked over and hugged her dad, then her daddy, and waited until Noah stood up before she wrapped her arms around him too. He kissed her lips chastely because her fathers were in the room and she walked down to their bedroom. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Puck waited until the bedroom door shut before he turned back to Marcus and Alan. They were both standing, preparing to leave. It was now or never. (Well, not _never_ but later wasn't gonna cut it either. Had to be now.)

"We should be getting back to the hotel I suppose," Alan stated. Puck shook his head and crossed the room.

"Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you guys about something. Do you mind?" He whispered just in case Rachel wasn't asleep yet. He really didn't want her hearing this conversation. Her dads looked a little worried at the seriousness in his voice but he just motioned for them to sit down. "Okay, I love your daughter. She's, god she's everything. And I want to be with her for the rest of our lives. But before you say anything, I came to this conclusion before we ever found out about the baby so please don't think that this is all because she's pregnant. Even though the three of us haven't really got to spend that much time together, I would hope you know that I'm in this for keeps. The thing is, I want to marry Rachel. And the reason that I'm telling you all this is because I respect the two of you too much to not ask for your blessing. So that's it. I would like your blessing to marry Rachel." Puck let out a breath and watched the calculating faces of the Berry men. It reminded him of his mother actually, which made the entire process scare him that much more.

"Does Rachel know about this," Alan asked. Puck laughed nervously and shook his head.

"God no, you know how independent she is. She'd probably kill me if she found out. But it would put me at ease knowing that I have the blessing of my child's grandfathers." Marcus stepped closer to him and Puck fought the urge to flinch.

"Noah, when your relationship with Rachel began, we were counting the days until you broke her heart. And don't pretend that you haven't because we know all about your little stunt that you pulled at her rehearsals months ago. But, since then, we've realized that you're good for her, to her. I'll admit that when we first met you, your only saving grace in my eyes was that you were very obviously protective of her. But I've witnessed your relationship over the past few days and I can tell you that I couldn't be happier with my daughter's choice of a partner. I've seen the way you make each other better, and that's what a healthy relationship is supposed to do. I can tell that two of you are going to make fantastic parents when this baby comes. You're perfect for each other. I would be remiss to withhold my blessing from you. You are a good man and I would be honored to call you a son." Marcus held his hand out for Puck to shake. Puck took it as a wave of relief washed over him and heard Alan chuckle softly behind them. When Marcus let him go, Alan stepped around his husband and smiled. He ticked his head towards Marcus and quipped,

"What he said." Puck laughed and held his hand out again. Alan just knocked it away and opted to hug him instead. Puck actually found it comforting instead of awkward as he'd expected it to be. When they broke apart, Alan turned Marcus and smiled. "Well this night has just been lovely. But we really should be getting back to the hotel now. Noah, we'll see you at lunch tomorrow. Good night."

When the door closed and Puck had locked it up for the night, securing the castle, he folded up in the floor. He honestly couldn't believe he'd just gotten through that alive. His mom had always taught him that you were supposed to ask the girl's father for her hand in marriage. But fuck if he didn't go and pick the girl with two fathers! But he'd gotten their blessing. One hard part was out of the way only to be followed by another one.

He needed to buy a ring. The perfect ring. The ring that no woman in her right or wrong mind could say no to. He wasn't exactly worried that Rachel would say that she didn't want to marry him but it still couldn't hurt to propose with a ring that made it really hard to say anything but yes.

Pushing himself off of the floor, he gathered up everyone's coffee cups and took them to kitchen. After putting them in the dishwasher, he walked down to the bedroom and opened the door. Rachel was cuddled up under the covers and snoring softly. She was so damn cute without even trying. He quickly got out of his clothes and slipped under the blankets next to her. As soon as he got situated, she rolled over and snuggled up close to him. She mumbled something in her sleep that sounded like _eyfel_ and he smiled. She must have been having a dream about the baby. Puck curled his arm around her shoulders and held her as he drifted off to sleep. It wasn't long before his own dreams started, filled with the same perfect dark-haired baby that he'd been seeing in his mind every time his eyes closed. He couldn't wait to be a father to that baby.

**

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**a/n2: Please review! Also, if you haven't checked out my new one-shot "Track Eight", please take a peek at that one. Smuckleberry goodness! Thank you!**


	20. Chapter 20

**a/n: First off, my apologies for taking so freaking long on this chapter. My muse has been crazy lately. Either way, here it is. I don't own the song "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure but I chose it because Mark made a playlist once for a magazine article and that song was the first track because he said he was playing it when he saw his first love. The lyrics fit for the moment used and it was perfect. Also, I was tweeted by Darren Bousman the other day! Those of you who don't know who that is, he's the director for Repo! so I flipped out about that! I also don't own Glee, duh. Smuckleberry ahead! Please read and enjoy!**

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Puck stood on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in Manhattan, staring up at the brown granite building. It was fucking terrifying for some reason. He heard a car stop behind him, a door shut, and then the tap of heels against concrete. Help was here!

"Remind me why we're here," he said, trying to keep his voice even. Santana slipped her arm through his and grinned up at the same building he was sneering at.

"Shut up Puck." He rolled his eyes and turned his head to look at the woman beside him.

"Well I see marriage hasn't made you less of a bitch." Santana's returning smile was actually real as she stared down at her left hand, her wedding band and engagement ring both shining brightly in the sunlight.

"Now come on Puck, if I suddenly started being nice to you, you'd think I was sick or something." He couldn't help but agree with her and turned so that he was facing her. Santana looked up at him and grinned again. "You know, last night Rachel told me that if I touched her stomach one more time, she would cut off my hand. It is definitely your badass spawn inside her. That kid is totally bringing out her bitchy side. I think she's worse now than she was on my wedding day. I like it." Puck rolled his eyes again but couldn't help laughing. Baby mama really didn't care for people touching her stomach.

"San, she was barely pregnant then. The main reason she was like that on your wedding day was because you went insane and made her blow up on you. Or did you conveniently forget the whole "Bridezilla Attacks Defenseless Tokyo" headline in the papers the next morning?" Santana bit the inside of her cheek and glared half-heartedly back at him.

"The next morning, I was too busy basking in wedded bliss to notice fucking headlines. I fucking love being married!" Puck just laughed as the people walking around them on the sidewalk shot both of them funny looks. Santana took a deep breath and smiled again. "Okay Puck, let's go get your Tokyo!" Puck tried to laugh but looked up at the building again and the chuckle stopped in his throat.

"Alright seriously Lopez, why are we _here_? There are plenty of jewelry stores all over the city that are a fuckload less intimidating than fucking _Tiffany's_! When I called you for help, I thought you were actually gonna help, not scare the shit out of me." Santana rolled her eyes and laughed, shaking her head so that some of her hair fell out of her loose ponytail and framed her face.

"The reason we're here Stupid is because I'm the best friend and I have information you need. When me and Rachel first started out as friends, I hated musicals. They annoyed the shit out of me and I hated when the people would just burst into song because they were making a sandwich or something. Well, the only movie we could ever agree on watching was "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and every time we watched it, Rachel always said that the perfect man would give her that little blue box and she would know it was meant to be. Puck, you're her perfect man. You're just missing the little blue box." She waved her hand out in front of her towards the building and grinned. "_This_ is where you get the little blue boxes." Puck took a deep breath and nodded his head. Rachel deserved the best. He stood straight and squared his shoulders, walking straight ahead towards the doors.

The second they were inside, it was like he could feel Rachel's ring in there. It was there somewhere.

A blonde woman stepped out from behind the glass cases and walked over to them. Puck noticed the way her hair was pulled back into a bun so tight it looked like it might hurt her face if she blinked.

"Hello, my name is Miranda. Can I help you find anything in particular?" Puck looked down at Santana and then back to the woman.

"Engagement rings," he said simply. The lady's face lit up like the fourth of July and she turned to Santana.

"Lucky lady, do you know what style you would prefer?" Puck started to protest but Santana just laughed and took her hand out of her pocket, wiggling her jeweled fingers in front of the woman.

"Lady, my _wife_ knows what _style_ I prefer and I'll be keeping it that way. Your commission isn't coming from me so why don't you suck up to him instead." Puck almost felt bad about the look of total embarrassment that crossed the woman's face but then decided it was hilarious. He was so glad he brought Santana with him, if for nothing more than her attitude to help him handle the pushy salespeople. The woman looked back at him as if for clarification that Santana was joking or something. He laughed and nodded his head.

"She's married to my sister and is best friends with my girlfriend, the actual 'lucky lady'. She's helping." The skeptic look on Miranda's face told Puck she didn't believe that Santana would be helping at all. That just made him laugh again. "Okay, how do we see rings?" His statement seemed to kick the woman into business mode as she led them to the correct glass case. Well, what _she_ assumed was the correct glass case. Puck took one look at the rings she was preparing to show him and knew that Rachel's ring wasn't there. He looked up at Santana with a quirked brow and chuckled. "None of these are what I'm looking for. Can we see what's in the other case?" Miranda eyed them carefully before speaking.

"Sir, these rings are very economically priced. Perhaps if I took a few out for you to see a bit better?" Puck leaned over the counter, careful not to touch the glass, and spoke very clearly.

"Look, Miranda was it? I know I don't look like Donald Trump or anything but I can assure you that I'm not hurting _economically_. So, do we have to have a 'Pretty Woman' moment where I tell you that you've made a big mistake or are you going to show me the rings I _actually_ want to see?" Miranda was very visibly stunned by Puck's little speech, but you could see the happy smile just bubbling underneath because of the commission she would be getting off of the sale. Santana clicked her tongue beside him and released a very small giggle when Miranda flinched.

"My apologies Mr.?" Puck smiled victoriously and replied,

"Puckerman."

"Mr. Puckerman, I'm very sorry for that. It was very presumptuous of me and I—" Puck held his hand up to stop the annoying apologetic rant about to spew from the woman's mouth.

"Save it, just show me the rings." That shut her up and she quickly slid over to another case of rings. Miranda took one of the foam things full of diamonds and platinum out of the glass box and set it on top. Puck looked over them and just as Santana's fingers reached out to touch one and he said, "Nope, it's not here. Next." Santana turned her head quickly with widened eyes and her mouth dropped open.

"Puck you didn't even look at any of them. That one's pretty and it's a cushion cut." Puck rolled his eyes and shook his head, seeing the ring in question.

"If I wanted something ugly and wrong, I would've called my mom for Bubbie's ring in the first place. I'll know Rachel's ring when I see it and it's not in this tray. Next." His tone had a surprising finality to it that both women reacted to. He couldn't help but smile at himself just a little bit. Before Miranda could pull another tray out, Puck looked down into the glass case. "Hey wait, lemme see that one."

Two hours and one very frazzled Miranda later, Puck and Santana had managed to narrow it down to three rings. Rachel's was _there_, right in front of him, but for some reason it was really hard to feel which one was _the one_. With an annoyed huff, Santana shoved one at him.

"God Puck I'm hungry. Just pick one already!" Puck stared at the ring she'd pushed across the glass towards him, much to Miranda's chagrin as it scratched against the surface. It had three oval cut diamonds placed side by side. The ring was beautiful, but when he pictured it on Rachel's finger, it looked out of place. That one was out. He picked it up and handed it back to Miranda.

"This isn't it." Miranda took the ring from him and placed it back in the case as he picked up the other two rings. The one in his right hand he knew Rachel would like. Like the previous ring he'd put back, this ring had three stones too. All three diamonds were emerald cut with the one in the middle slightly bigger than the other two. He could easily see that one Rachel's hand.

But then he looked at the other one, closed his eyes, and all he could hear in his mind was 'yes'. The voice in his head sounded like Rachel's and he knew that he'd found it.

"What did you say this one was called again?" He sat the ring with the three emerald cut diamonds down and held the other one up in the middle of their small group so Miranda could see it. The smile on her face told him much of what he needed to know about the price but he didn't even care.

"That, Mr. Puckerman, is our Lucida with Trilliant Side Stones. Is that the ring you would like to purchase?" Puck noted the way her voice took on a saccharine tone, preparing to seal the deal. If he hadn't of been so excited to finally find the ring he was looking for, he would've strung her along for a few more minutes just to mess with her. He pulled the ring back to his face and studied it more closely. The Lucida diamond was a rectangular stone with more facets added on the top, breaking the light that hit it into tiny rainbows. The stones on the side looked like triangles and he guessed that the word 'trilliant' came about because they were a mix between a brilliant-cut and a triangle-cut. He didn't really care how the stones got their name, just that they came together to make the ring that would make Rachel his. You know, as if the baby in her belly didn't do that enough in the first place.

"Yeah, that's it. I'll take it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of Rachel's rings that he'd stolen from her jewelry box that morning. "I need it in this size. When can it be ready?" Miranda took Rachel's ring and smiled.

"If we have it in this size, it can be ready within a few minutes. Let me just check and I'll be right back." As Miranda left with Rachel's ring and Rachel's new ring, Puck turned to Santana. Santana quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Rachel's gonna love it!" Puck smiled proudly into her hair and hugged her back. "So are you going to propose before the baby comes or wait until after?" He scoffed at the question and threw his head back.

"Like I could wait that long! No, this ring is going on Rachel's finger as soon as fucking possible. I love her more than anything Lopez, and I love that baby too. Rachel has been it for me for a while now, and now that we're going to have a family together, I can't imagine going another day without her. I'm gonna marry her." Santana stood back and smiled at him.

"_Yeah_ you are!" Puck looked around the large room full of diamonds as he waited for Miranda to come back out from the back room. He really hoped they had it in Rachel's size so he wouldn't have to wait any longer than absolutely necessary. Santana tapped him on the shoulder and waited for him to look at her before she spoke. "You should come with Rachel to the studio this afternoon. We're gonna start doing photos for every month of her pregnancy and she mentioned last time we talked about it that she'd like you to be there too. And I could finally get a professional photo of you two together, while you're both awake instead of the ones that I used to sneak all of the time when you guys were fooling around." Puck raised his eyebrow and pursed his lips at what she'd said.

"Lopez, exactly how many pictures have you taken of Rach and me?" A guilty look crossed her face as she pretended to count on her fingers.

"Just a small photo album, no big deal. It's not _my_ fault you two look fucking perfect together. It's a lot harder to get photos of you two now that me and Rach don't live together but there were a couple of times that you guys fell asleep watching a movie over at Mike's or something. I'm a photographer Puck. Did you really think you were safe from my camera?" Puck could only shake his head at her before he saw Miranda walking back towards them. She was all smiley again so he figured she had good news. When he saw the little blue box in her hand, he felt like a pussy because his heart skipped a beat.

"Good news," Miranda trilled, "we had it in the correct size. I had it polished for you so you can really see it shine." Her hands worked quickly as she removed the velvet ring box from the slightly larger Tiffany blue one. When she opened the velvet box to show him the ring, Puck grinned. Something about seeing it snug in its own little box made it even more perfect. This would be how Rachel would see it first, the way she would see it when she said 'yes'.

"How much," he asked quickly, removing his wallet from his back pocket. He knew it wasn't going to be cheap. The second he'd stepped out of the cab in front of the building, he'd been prepared to put the club up for collateral if he had to. Rachel was worth it, and Mike would probably understand…probably.

"Eleven thousand," Miranda chirped. Puck did a double take, hearing Santana choke on her tongue, and slid his debit card out of its slot. Blondie snatched it up before he could blink and went off to ring it all up. Puck stared down at the ring on the counter and smiled.

"Wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Like a small car or something. I wonder if we should bump admission up a few bucks at the club though." Santana laughed lightly and nudged his shoulder.

"Probably couldn't hurt actually. But I think you'll be okay. Of course, doctor's appointments and baby stuff aren't really cheap but," Puck cut her off with a stern look.

"Not helping San." Santana rolled her eyes and replied,

"Puck, you own one of the most successful nightclubs in New York City. And you have savings and shit plus Rachel is crazy about saving for the future. I'm just giving you a hard time because it's so damn fun to mess with you right now. You're all nervous and excited, it wouldn't be right if I didn't exploit that." Puck laughed but couldn't help feeling a little relieved at her words. Financially, he and Rachel weren't hurting. At least that was something he didn't really have to worry about. And considering the money he had saved up, (his mom had used her wonderful powers of Jewish guilt on him to convince him to put money away for a rainy day) the price of the ring didn't actually seem that bad at all.

Miranda came back with his card and he slid it back into his wallet as she began to rewrap the ring in its boxes. She reached under the counter and pulled out a small bag to place the box in. "Congratulations," she said warmly but Puck knew it was more from the sweet commission she'd just 'earned' than from actual congratulatory feelings she may have held towards him. All the same, Puck smiled back at her as he grabbed the bag and replied with a cool,

"Thanks."

Once he and Santana were outside, Puck's phone started ringing in his pocket. It was Rachel's ringtone and it instantly made his blood heat up. He looked at Santana, who'd promptly started laughing.

"It's like she's fucking psychic or something! The other day, I got her a gift card for a bookstore she likes and she called me then too! It's like she _knows_ when I'm getting shit for her!" Santana quieted her laughter as he answered the phone. "Hey baby, you okay?"

"We're fine Noah," he grinned that she was talking about both her _and_ the baby, "but I have something to ask of you. Santana is going to start photographing me throughout my pregnancy since I'm entering my third month and I would really like you to be in the photos as well. It shouldn't take very long." Puck smiled again and tried to not laugh.

"Yeah that'd be awesome. What do you want me to wear?" He heard some shuffling in the background before she spoke again.

"I'm bringing some of your shirts that I like and the jeans you put on this morning are fine. And I'm sure that the studio will have some clothes that Santana can use if she wants to go with a different look. Thank you Noah, this will be wonderful to look back on once the baby is born." He couldn't help grinning once more into the phone.

"No problem Rach. I'll meet you at the studio then. I've got to stop by home first and drop some stuff off but I shouldn't be too long." Noticing the look she gave him, he held up the bag with the ring in it so that Santana would understand why he couldn't just go to the studio with her.

"Well why don't I just wait for you here Noah and then we can go together?"

"No," he said a little too quickly, "I mean, you go ahead and go. I'm pretty sure that Santana will probably want some pictures of just you before I get there anyway. Just go to the studio and I'll be there in a bit." He was instantly worried that she would get suspicious but she just breathed out and said,

"Okay Noah. I'll see you there. Love you." Puck breathed a sigh of relief that her voice wasn't doubtful or anything.

"Love you too Rach." When he had his phone back in his pocket, Santana burst out laughing. "See what I mean," he defended. "It's like she's some kind of sixth sense whenever I'm doing something like this. I'm gonna have to propose as soon as possible just so she won't figure it out beforehand! Alright, I'm gonna swing by and figure out somewhere to hide this so she won't possibly find it and then I'll be at the studio." Santana hailed a cab still laughing and opened the door.

"Hide it in one of your guitar cases. She'd never go looking there." Puck grinned and hugged Santana before she could sit down.

"That's perfect. But you can't act different around her. She'll know something's up. For all I know, she can read our minds now or something. I'm fucking paranoid now. I should just go home and make a little tin foil _kippah_ to protect my thoughts." Santana rolled her eyes at him and shut the cab door. Rolling the window down, she gave him a hard look and said,

"She's pregnant you moron, not an alien. Just go hide the damn ring and get your ass to the studio." She turned and gave the driver the address to her workplace and left Puck standing on the sidewalk.

**

* * *

**

When Rachel saw Noah walk into the studio, she felt a tingle go through her entire body. She was just entering her third month of pregnancy, which meant it was her second trimester.

In every book she'd read, the second trimester was the easiest and for that, she was grateful. Her morning sickness had died off so that made her immensely happy. The only genuinely odd craving she'd had so far was for dill pickle potato chips dipped in a peanut butter and Nutella mixture. Noah had made a face at her for that one but he'd kept his mouth shut, fearing she would go off on him. And that was another thing, her hormones were finally leveling off so she didn't feel like she was bipolar anymore. The one thing she had to adjust to was the suddenly ever-present horniness. She felt like a teenager again, and living with one of the finest male specimens to ever walk the earth certainly didn't help her control.

Her eyes had landed on him the second he'd walked in and she felt like a cat in heat. She was honestly glad that Santana already had a few pictures of her so that in case she felt the sudden urge to jump on him during the shoot, the day wouldn't be a loss. Noah walked up and slipped his hand over her stomach, now sporting the tiniest of baby bumps, smiling as he pressed his lips to hers. He was the only one Rachel allowed to touch her stomach. When they'd first told people about the baby, everybody wanted to touch her stomach all of a sudden and it really freaked her out. But when Noah did it, it just felt right.

"Happy second trimester Rach," he whispered and she couldn't help biting her lip at the way he'd lowered his voice. That tingle wouldn't leave her alone. Santana snapped a picture while his lips were still at her ear and his hand still splayed across her torso. In the back of her mind, Rachel knew that photo would be beautiful. Before she had the chance to really say anything, he looked up and said, "Alright Lopez, what am I supposed to do? Just stand behind her or something?"

While Santana was instructing Noah on what shirt he needed to change in to, Rachel was getting a little hot watching him. She quickly pulled the pink blouse over her head, leaving her standing there in the pair of jeans that Santana had put her in and her white camisole. Rachel piled her hair on top of her head, holding it there with her raised hands, and took a deep breath. She couldn't jump on Noah. She _could not_ jump on Noah. It would be highly inappropriate, especially with Santana standing right there. But there were dressing rooms somewhere close by, or closets, or film developing rooms, or…she shivered again.

Santana turned around and saw that Rachel had taken the blouse off. She looked at Puck as he was shrugging into a white button-down shirt over his gray muscle shirt and then back at Rachel. She didn't miss the way her friend's eyes darkened as she stared at her baby daddy and future fiancée. Puck was gonna have _fun_ later.

"Puck, sit down in the folding chair right there and I want Rachel to straddle your legs." Rachel felt her skin heat up again at the thought of straddling Noah in any fashion. When Noah made a comment about Santana directing a porno, Rachel could tangibly feel her impulse control slipping through her fingers. Noah sat down in the chair as Santana had instructed him to do and Rachel moved to straddle his lap. Her breath hitched as she did so and she could feel Noah's eyes on her, the smirk on his face just daring her to do something unseemly. Santana told them to act natural as she started snapping away.

"You okay baby?" His heated breath on her neck made her bite her lip again. Rachel just nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth to speak, she would moan instead. His hands curled around her sides as he tried to get her attention again. "Rachel," he whispered, "you look so hot right now, you know that? I'm gonna take you out to dinner tonight to celebrate. And when we get home, those clothes are coming off as soon as the door shuts." Rachel trailed her fingers down his face, cupping his cheek in her hand as they both looked towards the camera.

"Noah, with my hormones right now, there's no way in hell I can sit through a dinner. I'm _this_ close to telling Santana to go into another room for about twenty minutes so I can have my way with you. And that's just to get me through this shoot. Once I get you alone, we're not leaving the bedroom. If we even make it to the bedroom, that is." He stared at her for a minute, somewhat shocked at her words, but then he smirked.

"So you want take-out tonight?" Rachel couldn't help laughing at him, despite how turned on she was, and saw the flash of another photo being taken.

"Okay you two, just a couple more and then you can go home to screw yourselves into next week. Get up and stand over here." Rachel eyed Santana as she stood up from Noah's lap but didn't say anything. It's not like her friend was wrong. The second they got out of there, Rachel had every intention of feeling him inside her as soon as possible.

By the time Santana declared the photo shoot a wrap, Rachel was practically climbing the walls. The last few poses Santana had them in were innocent enough. However, with Noah, nothing stayed innocent for long. His calloused hands were like fire on her skin and she just wanted him to take her right there.

She practically pushed him outside, growling when he made a jab about her being pushy, and into a taxi. When his fingers tugged on a loose thread hanging from her jeans, Rachel hissed through her teeth and placed her hand over his.

"You could at least attempt to make this easier for me Noah," she snapped. When the cab pulled up outside the apartment building, Rachel almost ripped the car door off its hinges getting out. Even with as fast as she was walking, somehow Noah made it to the door before her and opened it so she could go inside. Rachel hurriedly pushed the elevator button a couple of times until she felt him step up behind her. He wasn't touching her, and it was infuriating. The doors opened and she stepped inside, thankful they were alone.

She pushed the button to their floor and as soon as the damn things closed, she was on him. Noah grunted as she shoved him back into the corner of the elevator and pressed her lips to his. Rachel felt one of his hands curl around the back of her thigh while the other cupped her butt cheek. Using the way he was holding her body, she ground her hips into his. She felt him responding almost instantly, and the smug feeling she got from that was fantastic.

"Rach, you're killing me right now," Noah muttered. Rachel just laughed and bit his lip before she pulled away.

"Payback's a bitch huh Noah." Just then, the doors opened on their floor and he released her, just in case anyone was standing in the hallway. They walked very quickly down the hall to their apartment and Rachel had the door opened before Noah could get his bearings about the situation. Before Rachel heard the door shut, she was unbuttoning her jeans and sliding them down her legs. The camisole was next to hit the floor as she turned around to face her boyfriend, happy to see that he'd finally gotten the hint and had removed his clothing as well. "Bedroom." She bit out the word and took a step backwards. Knowing that Noah had a thing for her baby bump, Rachel dropped her hand to her stomach and watched his eyes follow the movement. He released a low growl from somewhere in the back of his throat but Rachel kept walking backwards toward the hallway with a smirk on her face.

Once in the bedroom, Noah stepped up to her and fingered the lace of her panties for a second before yanking them down her legs. He guided her back to the bed and pushed on her shoulders until she sat down. She watched him drop to his knees in front of her and felt the moisture flood her center in reaction. But cunnilingus could wait, she couldn't. Lifting her fingers under his chin, she met his eyes.

"Noah, it's sweet that you want to do that but right now, I need something far bigger than your tongue inside me." He smirked and slowly stood to his feet again. Leaning over, he kissed her hard, inhaling her scent as he pushed her back on the bed. Rachel opened her mouth to him, hungrily tangling her tongue with his. Noah's fingers were fiddling with the front clasp of her bra. Suddenly she felt the scorching heat of his chest against hers and she moaned into his mouth.

Noah sat back on his knees and ran one hand up her side where she was ticklish. The second the smile came to her face, before it could turn into a laugh, he pulled her legs up to his shoulders and thrust himself inside her heat. Rachel let out a high pitched sound, somewhere between a moan and a scream, and tightened her muscles around him. She watched him through lowered lids as the feel of every vein in his penis rubbing against her walls brought her closer and closer to the brink. When he let her legs go, she instantly wrapped them around his body to pull him deeper. Her hands gripped the duvet when he lowered his body over hers, careful to keep himself hovering just inches above her. Rachel closed the space between their mouths and traced a line along his lips with her tongue. Her body began to shake, arch off the bed, out of her control. Her grip on the bedspread became leverage as she met his thrusts, chasing after her release. Noah moved his mouth down from her lips, sucking and nipping at her neck. He brushed a thumb over her pebbled nipple and the combined sensations made her body arch again.

"Harder," she hummed in his ear. He growled against her neck before rising up on his arms. Rachel moved her hands up to his chest and raked her nails across the taut muscles as he pounded her body against their bed. Suddenly, her orgasm flooded through her body and she moaned into the room. Her hands gripped his arms but he didn't let up, just kept rocking into her bed with this impassioned force she'd never really felt before. She couldn't catch her breath before she felt her center coiling again. Noah hiked her legs a little higher around him and continued to thrust. Rachel could tell he was holding his own release back, waiting for her to fall again. That knowledge sent her reeling all over again, with him following her this time. Noah's body went rigid as she milked his length for everything he could give her.

After a second, he collapsed beside her, still taking shallow breaths. Rachel turned her head and smiled. "Noah," she questioned him. He raised an eyebrow acknowledging that he'd heard her but just grunted. Rachel laughed, sitting up to throw her leg over his. "More." The demanding quality of her voice made him laugh as she splayed her hands across his chest and ground her hips into his.

He honestly didn't think he'd be able to go again for a least another hour. The sheer intensity had taken a lot out of him. But then, Puck looked down at her baby bump and he could feel himself rising to the occasion. Rachel looked down and smirked at him, knowing what was going on in his head. His hands moved up to cup her breasts, getting larger by the day it seemed, and he grinned.

"This is my favorite fucking trimester."

**

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**

The next morning when Puck woke up, he slid out from Rachel's hold and headed towards the bathroom to take a shower. He was actually surprised as hell that he could still walk after the night they'd had. He turned the water on and brushed his teeth while he was waiting for it to heat up. Just as he was spitting out the remains of his toothpaste, the bathroom door opened and Rachel walked in, hair all a mess rubbing sleep from her eyes, in all her naked glory. Without even acknowledging he was there, he was almost positive that she was still a little asleep, she stepped into the shower and closed the curtain. In shock, Puck stood there, just staring at the shower curtain, seeing her silhouette going through the motions of showering, and wondered if he'd actually fucked her brains out the night before. When she started humming, he started to look at his skin to make sure he hadn't developed some kind of weird invisibility powers. Shit, had she fucked _his_ brains out? Both conclusions were quite possible.

Puck shook himself out of his internal wanderings and looked back at the shower curtain. Quickly, he threw it open to find Rachel mid-lather under the spray. She looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Well are you going to get in or let water get all over the bathroom floor?" Puck knew the answer to that, moving his feet over the edge of the bathtub to get in with her. Rachel pushed the curtain to its closed position once more and shoved him under the spray. He didn't have time to feel the water rolling down his back before her lips were on his. Instinctively, his arms circled her waist to pull her closer until he felt her stroking his length between them. He pulled away and grinned at her. "Now Noah," she breathed out against his cheek. Who was he to say no?

About an hour later, they were both sitting at the dining table eating breakfast with very satisfied smiles on their lips when Puck suddenly knew where he had to propose. Rachel looked up and cocked her head to the side at the way his face looked.

"Sweetie, did you just figure out how to achieve peace in the Middle East?"

"What are you talking about?" Rachel laughed and sipped at her tea before laughing at his expression again.

"Well you were sitting there and suddenly you looked like you'd just thought of the best idea ever. Your face lit up and your body sort of tensed in an excited way. I don't know, it just seemed like you had an idea of some sort." Puck crossed his arms over his chest, smirk in place but inside berating himself for how obvious he was, and met her gaze evenly. Rachel huffed after a second. "Whatever. You don't want to tell me, I don't care. Keep your Middle East Peace all to yourself. Be selfish." Puck busted out laughing when she said that. He couldn't help it. Her pouty lips were freaking adorable and absurd all at the same time.

"Are you done," he chuckled. Rachel grabbed the last of her toast and stuffed it into her mouth petulantly. Puck just shook his head as she shoved her plate across the table at him. "I meant trying to get inside my head but if you're done with breakfast, that's fine too I guess." She giggled a little bit as he took her plate and stacked it on top of his. She smiled as he stood up and walked around behind her chair, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and kissing her neck. "I think we can both agree that I am pretty damn selfless when it comes to certain areas." Rachel didn't bother to silence the involuntary moan that slipped past her lips when he traced the shell of her ear with his tongue. Didn't matter, he loved it when she was vocal. The louder, the better. She had to catch her breath when he took their plates into the kitchen to put them in the sink.

Rachel pulled her t-shirt away from her chest, using it to fan herself while he wasn't watching her. Hot tea wasn't gonna cut it anymore. She needed something cold.

Puck didn't hear her bare feet pad into the kitchen behind him so he jumped a little when the refrigerator opened, but definitely heard her giggle in response. Time to put his plan into action.

"Hey babe, you remember Miguel right?" He turned to lean against the counter, watching as she tried to think of who he was talking about.

"The little boy in the park that you used to play guitar with at his family's restaurant. Sure, why?" Grinning that this might actually be a little easier than he thought, he replied,

"Well, it's his birthday today." That was a total lie. Miguel's birthday was like two months ago but Rachel didn't need to know that. "And he always plays guitar with his dad and brother in the park for his birthday, since they came to America. But this year, his dad burned his fingers pretty bad at the restaurant so he can't play with them. They asked me to play his part in one of the songs since, well I helped write it and I'm the only other person that knows how." Rachel stepped closer and nodded her head, understanding.

"You're going to the park to play with Miguel and his brother." When he saw a tear trickle down her cheek, he got really worried that he'd already fucked up his brilliant plan. But then she looked up at him and smiled. "You are going to be an incredible father to our baby Noah. You're already an amazing role model for that little boy." Puck released a quick breath of relief as she wiped her tear off her cheek and laughed nervously. "Go, have fun." He reached out and took her hand to pull her back to him and smiled at her.

"Well I kinda wanted you to come too though. Miguel freaking loves you and I know you like the music. Besides, I want my woman out in the crowd watching me." Rachel ticked her eyebrow at him and he knew exactly why. "Rach, we've been over this. You're my woman. It's basic caveman instinct that I can't fight. If we lived back then, I'd be bringing Snuffleupagus ribs and tusks back to our cave to prove that I could be a better mate than all the other Sapien dudes. Just get over it." Rachel poked him in the side and giggled when he squirmed against the kitchen counter.

"Okay, I'll come with you to the park. I should go change into something more suitable though if I'm to be seen in public with _my man_." Puck looked down at the t-shirt and shorts she'd thrown on after their shower and thought she looked suitable as hell. But he let her go change since he was already in a t-shirt and jeans that were really comfortable.

The second she left the kitchen, he turned around and started splashing water on his face. Truth was, he just had to propose to her in Central Park. It was where he'd taken her for their first 'real' date and where they'd shared countless other memories together since then. The place was special to them both and he felt like Rachel would really understand the sentiment that he was trying to get across to her if he proposed there. He didn't even actually know if Miguel's family would be there or not. They usually played on weekends so it was a good possibility and he knew that if he took his guitar, which he had to even to keep up appearances for his charade and because the ring was in the case, the family would have no problem letting him sit in for a song to help him out. It would be awesome, and he was stoked that he actually thought of it. Plus, out in public, there was no way she could refuse.

Puck walked into the living room and over to his guitar case where the ring was hidden. He ran his fingers over the strings, noting that two were out of tune, and then lifted the instrument out of its case. He opened the compartment in neck of the case just barely, catching a little glimpse of the blue box buried inside. With a breath, his hand closed it again and he positioned the guitar in his lap. Once he had it back in tune, he sat back on the couch and started strumming. While he waited for Rachel to get changed, the familiar tune flowed through his fingers to the strings and he started humming along.

"_Show me show me show me how you do that trick. The one that makes me scream, she said_" he sang softly. He kept singing until a pair of hands slid down his chest from behind the couch and Rachel's soft voice continued the lyrics.

"_Show me how you do it and I promise you, I promise that I'll run away with you. I'll run away with you._" He turned his head and planted a kiss on her arm before looking up at her with a smile on his face. "Apt song choice Noah. 'Just Like Heaven', I feel like that a lot lately." He leaned over and placed his guitar back in the case.

"Me too Rach, you ready to go?" Rachel nodded her head and waited by the door for him to close up the case and strap it to his back. She would run away with him in a second.

**

* * *

**

They were walking in the park holding hands when Rachel heard the sounds of the little Cuban boy's music. She smiled when they got closer and saw that Miguel was doing a familiar dance with a man that looked to be about Noah's age, she guessed that was his brother. Noah kissed her cheek and released her hand to walk over to Miguel's brother with his guitar. Standing just on the front of the crowd that surrounded them, Rachel watched as Noah gestured to her. That was confusing but she shrugged it off and watched as he took his guitar out of the case. The two men and little boy began to play a song she didn't recognize but it still took her back.

Central Park was where Noah had taken her on their first real date. It was where she'd first seen him play the guitar, and where she'd first seen him lose himself in music. That was the first time she'd seen him in a different light, as something that could be more. As she looked down at her abdomen, she realized it had all become more than she'd ever dreamed of.

As Puck played, he was thanking every star in the sky that Miguel's brother had understood his issue. Marco was more than happy to let him step in and play the song he'd told Rachel about, to help him out. It helped that their father had actually decided to stay at home that day, which worked out so that Puck didn't look like a total liar in front of Rachel when he'd told her about the man getting burned. So far, his plan was going pretty damn well. He just had to seal the deal. As their song came to its end, he stepped forward and took her hand, bringing her to the middle of the circle, to the middle of the crowd. She looked so confused and slightly embarrassed but it would be worth it in just a few seconds.

"Noah, what are you doing?" Puck just grinned and motioned for her to stay put. Marco brought his guitar case over and slid it in between them, making Rachel look a little more wary. Puck dropped to one knee and heard the crowd around them gasp with Rachel. With a grin on his face, he looked up at her.

"You got a lot of titles Rach. Tony award winning actress, love of my life, and the mother of my child. But I've been thinking that I want to add another title to that list." He opened his case between them and withdrew the ring box. Rachel covered her mouth with her hands. He took the little velvet box out of the Tiffany's box and grinned at her. "So Rachel Berry, marry me. Be my wife." When he finally got it open so she could see the ring, she whispered,

"_Gottenyu _Noah." Her hand was shaking when she held it out towards him. "_Yoh, zikher, avade, _yes Noah yes!" Noah slid the ring on her finger, grinning at the rush of Yiddish affirmatives she'd yelled out in the middle of the now clapping crowd. The ring looked perfect on her hand, even better than he'd imagined it would.

Rachel watched him stand up and slide the guitar around behind him. She looked down at the ring on her finger and gasped again. Leaning over the guitar case, she wrapped her arms around his neck, squealing lightly when he picked her up and swung her body around. Rachel giggled and when her feet hit the ground again, she kissed him as hard as she could. When they both pulled back, she held her hand up between them and took a shallow breath as she looked at the ring once more.

"I did pretty good huh," Puck joked. Rachel just nodded her head and laughed at him. She looked around them and remembered all the other people watching. Ignoring them, she met his eyes and replied,

"This is so much better than a Snuffleupagus rib."

**

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**

**a/n2: So, like it? Not like it? Tell me about it! If you haven't read my latest one-shots "Apology Accepted" and "Track Eight", you should give them a gander as well. Thank you so much for reading. I legit have some of the best readers on the planet. Love you guys! Please REVIEW!**


	21. Chapter 21

**a/n: If you've been wondering what other gleeks I could shove into this story, the answer is one more! Sam Evans is officially making his Chase the Morning debut at the request of the lovely Ida! Hearts bb! Hope I did it justice! Also in this chapter, Pucklebaby's gender is revealed! Yay! I don't own Glee!**

* * *

Rachel brushed her fingers through her hair and saw the way her ring glittered in the soft light of the bathroom. Like it had done every single time in the past month, her heart stopped short at the sight. When he'd knelt down in the middle of Central Park that day and asked her to marry him, it was like finding a puzzle piece that you hadn't known was missing. This man loved her, and she loved him. She knew in her heart that he wasn't proposing because of the baby, he was proposing because he truly wanted them to spend their lives together. And she just wanted to do the same.

"Babe," Noah called from the living room, "we're gonna be late for the doctor's appointment. Come on!" Rachel laughed into the mirror and checked her makeup. Noah was more excited about this checkup than anyone it seemed. They were supposed to be finding out the sex of the baby. They'd been warned that it might be too soon but figured it couldn't hurt to check, just in case. Besides, the theme they'd chosen for the nursery was acceptable for a boy or a girl. That way, if the technician ended up being wrong, they wouldn't have the wrong color room for the baby.

"Noah I love you, but stop telling me to hurry up. We are not going to be late." She walked out of the bathroom and down the hall. Noah was waiting for her in the living room, bouncing on the balls of his feet. She couldn't help laughing at him as she grabbed her purse. "Excited?"

"Fuck yeah I'm excited. This is our baby Rachel. We get to find out what it is today!" Rachel laughed again and stepped into her flats.

"You do realize that the doctor might not be able to tell the sex of the child right? And it's quite possible that even if they do tell us what it is, they could be wrong. I just don't want you to get your hopes up." Noah rolled his eyes and curved his hand around her neck, pressing a light kiss to her nose.

"Yeah yeah yeah, ten fingers, ten toes, healthy, all that jazz, but seriously. Are you not the least bit excited to _maybe_ find out what the baby is?" She stared up at him with a small smile.

"Of course I'm excited Noah. But I don't want to get my hopes up in case we don't get to find anything out today." Noah just scoffed and hugged her close.

"Babe, you have like, the best OB/GYN in the city. My hopes are up and we are finding out what the baby is today. I know it. I can feel it." Rachel knew by his tone that it was useless to argue with him. So she just pressed her lips to his and giggled when he drummed his fingers on her butt.

* * *

The gel that the ultrasound tech squirted on her swollen abdomen was cold. She'd been warned that it would be cold but she still gasped before she could stop herself. Noah squeezed her hand just a little tighter and she felt better.

As the wand was pressed to her stomach, a loud drumming noise was heard throughout the small room. Her baby's heartbeat never failed to bring tears to her eyes. Noah leaned over and kissed her temple before she heard the small choked sound coming from his throat, like he was trying not to cry.

"The baby is looking good so far. Would you like to know the gender?" Rachel smiled and watched Noah's eyes light up just a little bit more.

"I wanna know," he yelled. Both Rachel and the tech started laughing but Rachel nodded her head too.

"If you can tell, we'd like to know." The technician moved the wand over just a little and grinned.

"Well, it's a little early but with its position, my educated guess is that you're having a boy." Both Rachel and Noah gasped out loud as the technician turned the ultrasound monitor around so they could see it. "Now we'll have to wait a few more weeks to be absolutely certain but I've been doing this for a long time and I'm seeing a little boy on this screen." Rachel looked over at the screen and felt her heart swell.

"A son," Noah questioned beside her. She turned in time to see his eyes watering. He never looked away from the screen. "I'm gonna have a son." Tears started to run down his cheeks and she squeezed his hand tighter. Noah looked down at her with a soft smile and took a deep breath. "Rachel, we're having a son." He gently pressed his lips to hers. The tech nurse smiled.

"I'll just give you two a minute." When the door shut with her exit, Rachel gasped as Noah quickly wrapped his arms around her.

"My god Rachel, we're having a boy. We're having a son. I can't fucking believe it. This is incredible. I love you Rach, so much. Thank you for this." He became a little difficult to understand as he started to trail off at the end but Rachel knew that what he was saying was exactly what she was thinking. They were going to be a family. It was all so much and tears began to pour from her eyes as well.

They both sat there hugging each other for a few moments until the ultrasound tech came back into the little room. Once they'd asked their questions and got the DVD, Rachel quickly set up her next check-up and they left the doctor's office. Two happier people couldn't be found in all of New York.

Rachel's happiness began to turn to worry as they walked into a little deli to get some lunch before heading back home. Noah was quite masculine but what if their son turned out to not be. As they sat down at the table to eat, Noah looked across at her, his smile still firmly ingrained on his face it seemed, and noticed the worried look on hers.

"What's wrong Rach? Is something wrong with the baby?" He jerked towards her but Rachel held her hand up to assure him that she and the baby were okay.

"It's nothing Noah. Don't worry about it." Pursing his lips, she could tell he didn't believe her but she wasn't sure she would like the answer to the question she felt needed to be posed.

"Babe, you're obviously worrying about something which can't be good for the baby. Just tell me what's wrong." The genuine concern she saw in his eyes made the decision for her. She took a couple deep breaths and a few bites of her sandwich before she could say anything though.

"Okay Noah, my fathers went through a lot when they came out to their families. Daddy was almost disowned by his father and Dad had to leave home for a little while because his family became so belligerent towards him. It's all okay now but it wasn't easy for them. And you know what happened with Tina when she came out to her family. When I was growing up, my dads sat me down and told me that I could love whomever I chose and that they would love and support me no matter what. Knowing that got me through so much when I was a teenager and I need to know that we can tell our child the same thing. So, what if our son is gay? Would you be okay with that Noah?" She watched him for a few seconds, almost expecting his nostrils to flare in anger at even suggesting it. But he didn't. He calmly looked back at her and covered her hand with his own. Meeting her eyes, he spoke softly, with a hint of a smirk on his lips.

"What kind of a stupid question is that?" Rachel's mouth dropped open in shock as she stared back at him. He shrugged his shoulders with a grin. "So what if he's gay. He'll still be my son Rach. Just means I'll be cheering at a ballet recital instead of a basketball game. But I don't care if he sinks a three-pointer with nothing but net or does a huge impossible number of spins en pointe, I'm still gonna be sitting in that audience cheering like crazy for him. That's what a dad is supposed to do for their kid." He squeezed her hand and chuckled softly. "Babe, we can definitely tell our kid the same thing." Rachel wiped the tears that had started falling from her eyes and smiled at him. "Were you seriously worried that I'd hate for the kid to be gay? Your dads are gay Rach and I think they're pretty fucking awesome. Santana and Tina are technically bisexual but I'm pretty sure that being married to each other makes them lesbians. Kurt and Jason kinda like my bros now even. Me and Mike saw them at lunch last week and they're pretty fun to be around. I think I'm pretty damn progressive actually. I love this baby, this little boy, no matter what. Nothing can or will change that."

Her lunch forgotten, Rachel stood up and walked around the table in the middle of the deli. She cried into his neck and hugged him as close as her baby bump would allow. She held onto him, not caring that people around them were watching. The entire world melted away and it was just her and Noah, and their little boy growing inside her. She could feel his hands on her back, just holding her. They didn't say anything as they pulled apart but Rachel sat down and looked at him with a smile on her face.

"You wonderful man." Noah shrugged like he hadn't just said the most perfect thing on the planet and took an obnoxiously large bite out of his sandwich.

"I ordered some stencils online the other day for the baby's room. I got a deal on those star ones that you wanted and then I found the best music note ones too. When we get it painted, it's gonna be sweet. And I'm picking up the crib and changing table tomorrow. Mike's gonna help me get it home." He looked so excited talking about fixing up the baby's room. Their _son's_ room was going to be beautiful.

Rachel had come up with the idea that since the room had originally been Noah's music room, that they could technically keep it a music room even for the baby. Music was a recurring theme in both their lives, so why should it stop with their child. They were going to keep the walls the soft white color and use stencils to paint measures of music from some of their favorite songs. Stars were Rachel's thing so of course she wanted them included in their baby's room. Noah was also going to use various instrument stencils around the room as well. It would be very whimsical and Rachel couldn't wait to start.

As they were walking back to their apartment after lunch, Rachel saw a young girl in the lobby speaking with a boy. She would've recognized the look on the girl's face a mile away. First love. It made her smile wide enough that when they got in the elevator, Noah easily took notice. He waited until they were in the apartment to comment.

"You know, this baby's turned you into a crazy romantic. More than usual." Rachel just rolled her eyes at him and laughed.

"Shut up Noah. That girl's eyes were sparkling with first love and it makes me happy. You remember your first love don't you?" She watched him kick his shoes off next to the wall and sit down on the couch.

"Rachel, my first love was back in high school. She was also the first girl that broke my heart too, which made me hate her fucking guts." He paused for a moment and then looked up at, his eyes suddenly full of emotion and said, "and my second love is marrying me and giving me a son." Rachel grinned at him but understood the importance of what he was telling her. She sat down beside him and laid her head on his shoulder. His next question surprised her. "So what about your firsts?" She thought for a second on which firsts he might be talking about.

"Well, the first time I fell in love, I was a sophomore in high school. His name was Finn Hudson." She ignored his fake cough of _sounds like a douche_ and kept going. "The first time I had sex was senior year with a boy that one of my friends set me up with. And my first kiss was Santana." Noah sat straight up on the couch, knocking her head off his shoulder.

"Hold the phone! Your first kiss was Santana? I gotta hear this story." Rachel laughed at his sudden attentiveness.

"We were both fifteen. Santana had started struggling with her sexuality and she thought that she might be attracted to girls. She didn't know for sure because she'd kissed plenty of boys but never any girls. She was my friend and I wanted to help her. So I offered to be her first girl kiss. That's when San figured out that she was bisexual. I was her first girl kiss and she was my first kiss ever. It's not really that big of a deal." Rachel laughed at the look of shock on his face. He seemed to actually be stunned. Suddenly without warning, he leaned over and kissed her hard, pushing her against the back of the couch.

"Rach, you are so fucking hot!" His lips on hers were always enough to trigger her hypersensitive arousal and she responded instantly. He carded his fingers through her hair, hitting that little spot on the back of her neck making her moan out loud. She could feel his hands nimbly working to pull her pants down her legs so she lifted her hips to help him out. He growled at the green lace panties she'd put on that morning, which made Rachel grin.

"Noah if I can't ride you right now, I might die." She didn't have to tell him twice. Noah couldn't get out of his clothes fast enough. As soon as Rachel sank down on him, hands splayed across his bare chest and nails digging into his skin, her last lucid thought before her brain turned to mush was "_This man is_ all_ mine_."

* * *

"So, didn't you guys have a doctor's appointment this morning?"

Puck couldn't even pretend to be annoyed at his friend for asking. After they'd gotten home that afternoon, and re-christened practically the whole apartment, they'd called their parents to tell them they were having a grandson. Rachel became exhausted and was fast asleep by the time Puck had to be at the club that night. He was still bouncing from excitement when he'd walked into his office, and still a few minutes before opening when Mike finally saw him.

"Yep, and we found out what we're having too." He paused, just to see if Mike would prod.

"So, are you gonna tell me?" Puck laughed and nodded his head before getting up and walking around his desk. Before he could get the words out though, another onslaught of emotions like he'd felt at the doctor's office that morning knocked the wind out of him.

"I'm, it's a," he cleared his throat, "Rach and me, we're having a, a little boy." Puck almost choked when his friend's arms locked around his shoulders but he didn't even care.

"Holy shit congratulations dude! That's awesome." They parted and Puck cleared his throat again. "Thank god though man. We've been outnumbered forever by the girls but we're gonna have a little dude to add to the ranks! Can you imagine a little Puck? A little baby Puck? Oh crap, now I'm kinda scared. You were an asshole when we were little. But then Rachel can keep the kid pretty balanced I guess." Puck shook his head and laughed out,

"Dude shut up. This is my son we're talking about. He'll be a badass, just like his pops." Mike nodded his head in agreement. "Man, I gotta be honest. Leaving Rach tonight, it was freaking hard. And ever since we found out about the baby, leaving her on club nights and coming home early in the morning, it keeps getting harder. Sometimes, she's awake when I get home. She fucking sets her alarm so she can be awake when I get home. I mean, I think it's pretty awesome but I know that she needs to be sleeping, especially with the baby now." Mike leaned against one of the filing cabinets lining the wall and crossed his arms.

"What are saying dude? You wanna quit or something?" Puck shook his head forcefully.

"No, not at all man. I'm just saying, you know how me and you do everything for this place? We get the DJs, handle promotions, all the events are coordinated by us, we do _everything_ here and we have since the club opened because we were worried that it wouldn't get off the ground. Well, we're off the ground man, have been for a while now. We're the only club owners in the city that manage too. I think we may be at a place in our business career where we can hire someone to kinda take some weight off our shoulders for a change." Mike nodded in understanding and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"So, you want to hire a manager? Were you thinking we promote somebody or hire someone from the outside?" Puck finished signing a contract and filed it away before answering.

"Well nobody we got here is management material. I was thinking about making a call to Billy to see if he could help us out." Mike grinned at the memory of the old jazz club owner.

"Old Billy Holtzman, I took Brittany to From the Top the other night. She told him that his suit reminded her of a penguin and he should waddle for her. The man did it! He waddled in this little circle. I'm pretty sure it made Brit's life or something because when we were leaving, she said she wanted to choreograph a penguin dance for her crew now. My girl be crazy!" Mike paused as an airy look crossed his features. "But I love her."

Almost a year ago, Puck would've scoffed at his friend. But now, with a baby on the way and a fiancée that made everything about life better, he could understand that airy look better than he'd ever dreamed possible. He would bet good money that Mike would be looking for a rock to put on Brittany's finger in the near future and they'd dance down the aisle at their wedding.

"Alright dude, so I'm gonna call Billy tonight and see if he can be of assistance and maybe we can get a manager up in this place." Mike held his hand up for a high five and Puck quickly obliged. When Mike left his office, Puck picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. Twenty minutes later, he hung up with a smile on his face. He was going to get a manager for his club so he'd be able to spend more time with Rachel and his unborn son.

His insides still twisted into tweaky little knots every time he thought the word 'son'. He really liked that.

* * *

The next day when he was in his office, Puck looked up from the papers on his desk to see a tall blonde guy with more lips than his face knew what to do with standing in the doorway. He was wearing black dress pants with a blue button-up shirt. He looked like he'd just walked off the fucking stage from his high school graduation and all Puck could think was "there's no way I'm hiring this kid."

"Hey Chang! Get in here," he yelled in the direction of the door. The blonde kid in the doorway moved to the side so Mike could walk in.

"What?"

"When I said we should hire a manager, I meant somebody that wasn't a member of a boy band." Mike then turned at Puck's comment and finally noticed the newcomer.

"Are you Sam Evans?" Puck watched the guy smile and nod, thinking once again that his mouth was crazy huge.

"Yeah, that's me. I gotta thank you guys for this opportunity. And Mr. Puckerman, congratulations on the baby and your engagement." Puck ticked his eyebrow.

"Thanks but don't start kissing ass just yet. First off, how old are you? You look like you just lost your surfboard on the set of 90210." Mike snickered lightly but Sam just squared his shoulders.

"I'm actually twenty-five. You called Billy Holtzman yesterday saying that you were thinking of hiring a manager for your club and if he knew of anyone to send them your way. I called just a few hours ago and Mr. Chang said it would be okay to stop by for an interview. Could you just tell me now if I'm wasting my time because I don't need to go through the motions of an interview if you've already made up your minds about me?" Puck couldn't help chuckling a little. Of course Billy would send him this guy. He would actually fit right in with their staff. Kid had an attitude that meant he could hold his own. Puck motioned to the chair in front of his desk so Sam would sit down. He looked at Mike, who just shrugged his shoulders.

"So", Puck started, "I'm guessing you worked for Billy?" Sam relaxed a little, shaking his hair out of his eyes before speaking.

"I started as a bartender at From the Top a few years ago, just trying to make some money so I could pay my bills. I used to model but the cash flow wasn't dependable enough. So I got really good at bartending, Billy noticed. There was a fight that broke out one night just before closing. It was between two of the staff and I handled it. Billy had left early that night but somebody told him about it. One night, he told me that he was taking Faye on a three week cruise and he wanted to put me in charge while they were gone. Apparently that was a trial run because when they got back, he offered me the job permanently." Sam stopped talking for a moment and smiled nervously.

"So why did Billy send you here? I mean, if you're so great, why is he trying to get rid of you?" Puck didn't bother hiding his skepticism. Billy was a great guy but he wouldn't put it past him to send him this guy as a joke just to mess with him. Sam just grinned like he'd been waiting for that question.

"I moved across town a couple weeks ago. The commute to the club every night was starting to wear on me a little bit. I'd talked to Billy about possibly looking for another job closer to my new place and he'd told me that if anything came up, he'd try to help me out. That's when you called him. He told me that he was gonna fax over my references so that you guys would know I'd be good for the job." Suddenly, Mike hit his head and rushed out of the room. Puck and Sam stared at each other, confused by Mike's unexplained exit. After a few seconds, he walked back in with some papers in his hand.

"These are his references," Mike explained. "They were faxed right after I got off the phone with Sam. I forgot." Puck took the papers and shot his friend and business partner a stern look.

"You forgot? You didn't think that I might need to see this?" Mike looked a little bit ashamed but just shook his head.

"I caught up with something. Shut up. You have the things now." Puck straightened the papers in his hands and started reading. Sam didn't have any business experience aside from managing From the Top. But he had more than excellent recommendations from Billy and Puck knew firsthand that Billy Holtzman was not an easy man to impress. There was a short letter from Billy even, stating that if Puck didn't hire the kid, he wasn't as smart as Billy gave him credit for. He had to laugh a little at that. Puck looked across the edge of the papers at Sam.

"Could you give us a minute?" Sam stood quietly and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"I like him. He looks like a total pushover but then he's got an attitude that shows he can carry himself. I think he'd be easy to work with. Plus, if Billy thinks he can handle it, he can handle it." Mike could see the doubt on Puck's face as he rubbed his chin.

"I'm not sure Mike. We haven't even interviewed anybody else. Do we want to go with the first person we see?" Mike just shook his head.

"Well I guess not. But I'm pretty sure that we're not gonna find anybody else. And you're the one that started this anyway. We could at least give him a shot. Maybe let him take over for a night while we're here, like an audition or something. See how he handles himself around everyone. If he does okay, we hire him on a probationary period and if he passes that, bam, we found our new manager. There's still time before the baby comes in case he doesn't work out. But I like Sam. He's laid back. I think he'll do fine." Puck thought about Mike's words for a moment. It made sense.

"Hey Sam!" The door opened and the blonde walked back into the office. "What do you say to an audition?" Sam pursed that trouty mouth of his and furrowed his brow.

"I don't understand. I thought you were looking for a club manager." Puck and Mike chuckled at his expense and Puck was starting to like the kid a little more already.

"We are, but we don't want to hire you without seeing how you work. See, we like your credentials and we respect Billy's opinion but we really need to see how you operate before we can decide if you'll work out here. Understand?" Sam nodded his head. "Can you be here for rush tonight? That'd be a good test." Sam stepped closer to the desk, a giddy look in his eyes.

"I can definitely be here. You're gonna give me a shot? For real? I won't let you down Mr. Puckerman. I promise." Puck held his hand up and shot a look at Mike who'd already started laughing a little bit.

"First of all, quit calling me that. There's this annoying bouncer we have that always fucking calls me that and I can't stand it. I'm like three years older than you. If I'm gonna be your boss, call me Puck. This is guy's name is Mike. You're Sam. We're pretty informal here, it's less stressful. Can you handle that?" Sam started laughing, which fluttered his hair.

"Pretty sure that won't be a problem Puck. Anything else?" Mike walked over and shook his hand with a grin.

"Um, not that I can think of. Puck?" Puck laughed and shook his head as he stood up.

"I think that's it. See you tonight Sam." After shaking hands with him, Sam left the office and Puck looked over at Mike. "You think he can handle it?" Mike laughed as he headed for the door.

"I'm not worried man."

That night, Blondie proved his worth pretty damn well. The kid sucked at flirting, doing Matthew McConaughey impressions like a boss though, and the chicks around him ate it up. Somehow, he could still manage this look that made him seem really authoritative that, surprisingly, the other employees responded pretty well to. It shocked the hell out of both Puck and Mike. One of their bartenders, who was always a total dick even on his best days, acted almost human around Sam. A small but intense shoving match had broken out on the dance floor and before Puck or Mike could make it over there to kick the people out, Sam was there with a bouncer personally escorting the douche bags outside. Puck couldn't help but be impressed by the kid. He knew that Mike would have no problem hiring Sam and he was starting to form the same opinion. But he didn't want to tell the kid right away.

At the end of the night, Sam was getting antsy. When Chase the Morning finally closed up and the employees were cleaning up for the night, Sam walked over to the bar where Mike and Puck were organizing the liquors. Poor guy looked like he was ready to bust with an unasked question. Puck's eyebrow hooked on its own as he looked across the bar at Sam.

"Relax Sam. You didn't _totally_ fuck it up tonight." He relaxed and Puck couldn't help himself. "We're just missing about three hundred bucks out of the bar safe. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?" Sam swallowed thickly, his hands clenched and unclenched, and then he blinked a few times.

"Are you serious? How did that happen?" Mike decided he would play along for laughs.

"Well dude, I just finished counting the drawer and when I realized how much we were missing, I started asking around. Everybody said that the last person they saw around the safe tonight was you. Wanna tell us something?" Sam straightened his back and slammed his hands down on the bar top, eyes wide.

"I didn't steal your money guys. I'm not lying. I don't even know the fucking code to your safe. How could I take it? Why in the hell would I steal from you two when I'm trying to get a job here? How stupid do you think I am?" Puck took one look at the frantic opening and closing of Sam's froggy lips and almost cracked. Instead, he walked over and stood in front of Sam with his most menacing scowl on his face.

"Pretty damn stupid actually." Sam's breathing was uneven, shaky, and funny as hell. That's when Puck broke. "Holy shit you should've seen your face man! Oh my god that was fucking hilarious! Mike did you see it man? Kid looked like he was about to piss his pants!" Mike had started cackling, slapping his thigh because he was laughing so hard.

"I know! 'Oh I don't even know the safe code! I didn't steal your money.' God I can't believe you fell for that!" Sam shot a confused look at the men still laughing at him and finally understood. They'd tricked him.

"Real funny guys. Ha ha." Puck tried to catch his breath long enough to speak and wiped his eyes.

"What? You think you can just waltz in here and it's gonna be easy for you? Hell no dude. You gotta be initiated." He kept laughing as Sam still sat there open-mouthed on the barstool. "Better close that bear trap Sam. You might catch something."

"So there's no money missing and you guys are just assholes?" Mike was standing beside Puck, still laughing and nodding his head.

"Pretty much. Except now, we're your bosses too." Both men eyed the blonde as he realized what Mike's words meant.

"I got the job?" Puck reached behind him and grabbed a beer, sliding it across the bar to Sam.

"You're on probation now. Ninety days, if we don't have any major problems, job's yours if you still want it." Sam blew out a breath of relief and opened his beer on the bar's edge.

"Yeah I do, totally man." Puck laughed again and nodded his head.

"Alright good. We can go over business shit later. Right now I'm going home to my fiancée and son for the rest of the night. See you two later."

As Puck walked the distance home, he thought about that baby growing in Rachel's belly. A mini Puck, a little version of himself, or a tinier male version of Rachel. Both thoughts made him grin. He wondered how the little Puckerman child would look. Would it look just like him, or more like Rachel? Puck kind of hoped that it would be an even mixture of them both. Like, it would have the same curly dark hair that he'd had as a baby and Rachel's bottomless brown eyes that he couldn't say 'no' to. Or it would have Rachel's nose and mouth but his eyes instead. Any combination was really a win for the kid. Like the onesie said, he had superior genes. No mixture of Rachel with Puck could possibly make anything less than perfection. He couldn't wait to meet that perfect little baby boy.

When he got home, he could hear Rachel humming from the bedroom. He would've yelled at her just a little for always being up for him but he still loved that she did it. He was pulling his shirt over his head when he walked in so the sight before him took him completely by surprise.

Rachel wasn't in bed but instead she was standing over in front of the closet. She was wearing this skimpy little blue demi-cup bra that made her boobs look even bigger than they'd become over the past few months and a pair of matching cotton panties that situated perfectly on her hips. Her baby bump made his blood run hot like always.

"Noah, I didn't hear you come home. I was going to surprise you." Puck laughed just a little and unbuttoned his jeans.

"Rachel, babe, you don't have to wait up for me at night. It probably isn't good for the baby. You should be asleep." Rachel ignored his words and sat down on their bed.

"I'm horny Noah. I'm well aware that I could take care of it myself but why do that when I have a perfectly good fiancée who just happens to be the reason that I'm so aroused all the time. You did this Noah. And I want you to take care of it. I want it all, and I want it now." Rachel wasn't even bothering to play fair, caressing her breasts and torso at the same time. Puck shuddered a breath before storming over to her. He had her on her knees on top of the bed screaming his name within seconds.

Later, after he'd brought her to her god-knows-what-number orgasm of the night/morning, she collapsed beside him with this tired satisfied grin on her face and he couldn't help thinking that he was the luckiest guy on the planet. This beautiful woman was going to have his son, marry him, and make him impossibly happier than he'd ever dreamed of being.

Rachel was fast asleep when he pulled her against his chest and kissed her neck. She giggled in her sleep and snuggled closer to him, not a care in the world. As Puck fell asleep with his hand on her abdomen, he dreamed once more of the perfect kid that was half him and half her. Superior genes indeed.

* * *

**a/n2: It's a boy! Puck's speech from the diner is paraphrased from the comedy act of Billy Gardell. He's Mike from Mike & Molly! I don't own that either but the speech melted my heart and I wanted Puck to say it. Hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**a/n: Well this is it folks! Last chapter before the epilogue. I was originally going to make this two chapters but I was able to combine them in the end. Some things have been said lately that have made me seriously consider disabling anonymous reviews. I'm still considering it simply because I'd rather not have to deal with some of the bullshit but for now, it's still on. Critiques don't bother me, but please have the guts to sign your name so I can reply to your review as I do all of them. Because it's the end, this chapter will do a small time jump so I hope it doesn't confuse anyone. Either way, hope you guys like it! I don't own "Moonlight Sonata", "Canon in D", or "Dance With My Father". But you should totally listen to them either way. Thank you! Read and enjoy!**

* * *

The baby wouldn't stop kicking and it was pissing Rachel off. She just wanted to go back to sleep. She was almost eight months pregnant and aside from constantly craving sour cream on everything she ate, she hadn't had many difficulties to notice. When the baby first started kicking, she and Noah had been so excited. But right then, she needed sleep and the child inside her was refusing to let her be. She kicked the covers off of her legs and got out of bed.

When she walked into the baby's room, the kicking instantly stopped. It was like the child knew that he was in his room. She looked around at the stars and measures of music covering the walls and smiled. The crib was on the wall just inside the door and the changing table was on the opposite wall. On top of the small bureau, already full of baby clothes that the boy would probably grow out of before he ever had a chance to wear them, there was a small iPod dock and some framed ultrasound photos. Noah never failed to point out that in the latest photo, the boy appeared to be extending his middle finger to the world, to which Noah had proudly proclaimed "Look at him, telling everyone to 'fuck off' from the womb." Even she had to admit that the thought of a baby flipping the bird was pretty hilarious but that could have been the pregnancy hormones. Rachel quickly flipped through her iPod to her special baby playlist and sat down in the rocking chair as Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" started playing softly throughout the room.

She knew from experience that even though being in the room seemed to calm him down, the second she left to go back to bed, he would just start up again. So, she resolved herself to sit and listen to the classical music until she knew her little boy would let her sleep soundly again. She put her feet up on the sliding ottoman that matched the rocking chair and leaned back, rubbing her hand over her abdomen in a soothing motion. Rachel had just leaned back and closed her eyes to relax a little when she sensed Noah in the room. When her eyes opened, he was leaning against the doorjamb, sinewy arms crossed over his bare chest and a pair of black sweatpants slung low on his hips. Her mouth still watered at the sight.

"Noah, is the music too loud? Did I wake you?" Noah ducked his head a little and walked into the room.

"You did wake me up, but only because you weren't there. Is the little guy at it again?" He came over and picked her feet up before sitting back down on the ottoman with her feet in his lap. His hand joined hers on her stomach and in response, the baby started kicking like crazy again. "Seems like he's restless or something." Noah leaned over and placed his mouth closer to her stomach, ignoring the way Rachel sighed at him. "Hey kid, give your mom a rest will ya? Just a couple more weeks and you'll be out of there keeping us awake twenty four seven but right now, your mom needs to sleep. You see, she kinda bites my head off whenever she doesn't get enough sleep and I'm not blaming you or anything but, just chill out for a few hours." Rachel couldn't help snickering just a little at his speech. He backed up and looked at her with a smirk. "I'll be right back."

She lifted her feet off of his lap and he left the room. Seconds later, he reentered with his guitar at his side. As he sat back down in front of her, he reached over and restarted the song still resonating from the dock's speakers. Rachel watched as his fingers moved along the guitar's neck so naturally, playing Beethoven's piece on the instrument like it was the most innate thing in the world. Noah gazed at her as he played along to the music, his eyes never once straying to look at the guitar cradled in his hand, never missing a beat because he knew the song by heart. He'd always joked that he knew Mozart better but that Beethoven was sometimes more apropos for the moment. Rachel just watched, entranced by the way he moved and breathed in time to the music. She had no other choice. This man was painfully captivating, demanding her attention by merely existing, sending her stomach into knots when he looked at her with this purpose she would never tire of. Perfection.

When the song was over, Noah sat his guitar up against the bureau, carefully so it didn't fall over, and carded his fingers through her hair to lazily stroke his tongue along her lips before she granted him access with a sleepy smile. Pulling away, he stroked her cheek with his thumb for a few seconds before reclaiming his ottoman empire.

"Since we're both up, you wanna talk about names," he whispered. "I'd kinda like to be able to refer to him as something other than Pucklebaby. That nickname is seriously starting to wear a little bit thin. If we're lucky, Brittany's the only one that'll still call him that once he's born." Rachel laughed and rubbed her hands over her belly.

"That's probably a good idea. I've gone through a few baby name books and highlighted some of the best ones, then I color-coded the ones that are least likely to be made fun of by evil little children." Noah laughed and he would've said something but was quick to remember the 'Noah's Ark' comments that led to the creation of his own moniker as a child.

Around two hours later, both Noah and Rachel could barely keep their eyes open but they had finally picked the baby's name. Once Rachel was positive that the little guy was finally relaxed, Noah helped her out of the rocking chair and back into their bedroom. Rachel pulled him up behind her to spoon in bed and sighed when the warmth of his bare chest covered her back. Feeling him there with her, feeling his hand gently cup her breast in a way that wasn't even sexual, just feeling him, it made her giddy.

* * *

It was strange. He'd had a bad feeling when he woke up that morning but Rachel assured him that everything was fine. But when his phone rang in his office that afternoon, he was pretty sure that his stomach and heart dropped into his intestines.

"Noah my water just broke." Her voice was soft on the other line, like she was winded and terrified.

"What do you mean? You're not due for another two weeks." He was panicking a little but immediately began stuffing the necessary things back into his pockets and walking out of the office and back down into the club.

"Well there's a puddle in our kitchen that would indicate otherwise. Noah I'm scared." Puck was outside on the sidewalk when he heard her gasp in pain.

"Okay Rach where are you? Are you on the way to the hospital?"

"I'm at home." The second she said home, he was in a dead sprint down the sidewalk in the direction of their apartment. "Noah I need you here! The contractions are getting closer together!"

"Alright baby I'm almost there! Get your hospital bag and a cab will be outside waiting. I'm gonna call the hospital so they'll know we're coming. It'll be fine." He knew the only thing keeping him from passing out was the adrenaline running through his veins. "Can you get down to the lobby?" Puck heard her whimpering a little bit but then she took a deep breath.

"Yes, I should be able to make it Noah."

"Alright good. I'll be right there just give me a few more minutes. I'm gonna call the cab now and the hospital okay? You have your bag right?" His feet moved impossibly faster towards his goal when Rachel snapped back at him.

"Yes I have my damn bag Noah! I'm shutting the apartment door right now and then I'll get in the elevator. I'm sorry, just hang up and call the other numbers. Let me focus on getting downstairs." And with that, she hung up her phone but Puck kept his open, calling the cab company so one would be waiting for them as he rounded the corner in the final stretch.

The taxi was just pulling up in front of the apartment building when Puck made it. He made sure the driver knew he was picking them up and then ran up the stairs into the lobby.

The elevator doors opened and Rachel saw Noah sliding across the floor as he tried to stop on the slick tile. She stepped off the elevator and held the hospital bag out towards him. He was still on the phone, she guessed with the hospital, as he slung the bag over his shoulder and took her hand. He hung up shortly after and she looked up at him.

"Okay Rach, cab's outside and the hospital is calling your doctor, they're prepping the room and shit." She was biting her lip, standing very still, and willing the present contraction to go away. Noah made a slight whimpering sound as she squeezed his hand but he stopped talking. Rachel couldn't take it anymore.

"Noah it hurts so bad! Why did you do this to me?" Her words echoed throughout the lobby and he cringed slightly, but he'd known this would happen. Knowing also that no correct answer to that question existed, he ignored it and said,

"Let's get you outside Rachel. Cab's waiting." He slung her arm over his shoulder and gripped her waist, holding her against him in case another contraction zapped her strength. Outside, he opened the door to get her in the car and then ran around to get in himself. The driver knew which hospital to go to and as soon as the door shut, the car was on its way.

* * *

Rachel felt like she'd been pushing for hours and nothing was happening. The doctor kept telling her that the baby was crowning and that she just had to keep pushing. But she didn't have any energy left.

"Noah," she panted, "I can't do this anymore." Noah looked down at her from where he stood beside her bed and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"You can Rachel, I know you can. Just a little more." Rachel just shook her head vehemently.

"No I really can't. It hurts so much and now it's too late to ask for the epidural and I just can't do this! Just tell them to push it back again. I can't…" She trailed off in pain and leaned her head back against the bed, resolved to give up. Suddenly, she felt two strong hands on her shoulders, shaking her back and forth.

"Rachel you get back here right now! You're not leaving me!" Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Noah looking at her frantically.

"I'm just so tired Noah." She nodded off again, only to be shaken once more. That was really getting on her already frayed nerves.

"Babe I know you're tired, I know you're in pain, but I promise that you can sleep as long as you want to after this little guy is out but right now baby you gotta push!" She wanted him to stop yelling, stop talking and just let her be.

"I can't," she spoke with such defeat that it broke Noah's heart. He shook his head and took her hand, squeezing it until she looked at him again.

"Now you listen to me Rachel. You are a strong woman and this is our son. Don't tell me you can't do this because we both know that's fucking bullshit. You can do anything, _anything_, and that includes giving birth to this little boy, _our_ little boy. _Farshteyn_?" Her eyes widened at him for a second and she looked down at the hand he had secured in his. With a deep breath, she nodded her head.

"Okay Noah."

With that speech, all of her trepidation went out the window, replaced by her steadfast determination. She started to push, both Noah and the doctor coaching her, and soon, she heard something about the baby's shoulders. Rachel blocked everything but Noah's voice out, using it to make her forget about the pain, and he kept telling her to just keep pushing, that she was almost there.

"Alright Rachel," the doctor started, "the umbilical cord is tangled around the baby's legs." Rachel groaned and laid her head over on Noah shoulder.

"What does that mean? He'll be okay won't he?" Her voice was frantic again but she couldn't stop it.

"He'll be just fine. This last little bit might be a bit tricky. I'm going to need you to give me one last really good push. Can you do that for me Rachel?" Rachel nodded her head and felt Noah's arm around her shoulders. She pushed, harder than before, harder than she thought she could, just enough.

The next thing she heard was the snip of the umbilical cord and painfully loud cries of her baby. There was no denying that little boy was half her. She looked at the baby in the doctor's hands and instantly fell in love.

He had a head full of dark hair that was still matted together from amniotic fluid. He had Noah's nose and mouth but clearly her lung capacity. He was impossibly beautiful, and somehow more perfect than she'd imagined. As the nurses took him to get cleaned up, still screaming his tiny little lungs out, she looked at Noah.

"You did it Rach. Oh god did you see him! He's really little Rach."

There were tears streaming down both of their faces and Rachel kept staring up at Noah until finally he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her as tight as possible. She could still hear her son's cries from the other end of the room, the poor child probably cold. When they pulled away from each other, Rachel looked around the room, trying to find her son.

"I want to see him. Where is he?" Noah moved when the nurse brought their baby boy over to them. He was cleaned off and wrapped up in a white blanket with little blue teddy bears all over it.

"Alright here's the man of the hour," a nurse said in a sing-song voice. She placed the baby boy into Rachel's arms and smiled at the mother and son. Rachel looked down at her son just as he opened his eyes. He'd quieted as soon as Rachel breathed a soft 'shh' over his face. She stared into his eyes, a dark blue color that she could already tell would quickly turn into the deep hazel of his father's. He looked up at her and she felt herself falling even more in love, both with the child in her arms and with the amazing man that had given him to her.

Noah felt the tears streaming down his cheeks once more as he ran his hand gently over the beanie-clad head of his son. Rachel smiled at him and thought of all they'd been through to get to this point. He kissed the baby's forehead and then Rachel's lips before Rachel motioned for him to take the child. Noah had just got him cradled in his arms when the nurse came back over.

"So have you two thought of a name yet?" He looked down at the little boy when Rachel said his name.

"Levi Zachary, that's his name." The nurse just nodded her head and started to write it on her chart.

"Alright so that's Levi Zachary Berry-Puckerman, correct?" Noah was still smiling down at his son but flinched just slightly at the hyphenation. That was something they hadn't discussed. Rachel surprised him by shaking her head.

"No. Levi Zachary Puckerman. There's no place for a hyphen in my child's name." He snapped his head, looking at her with his eyes full of tears and questions, the emotions of what that really meant getting to him. Rachel bit her lip and nodded. "There's no sense in having change both my name _and_ his. I'll be a Puckerman pretty soon anyway." All the air rushed out of his lungs as he stared down at the woman hospital bed.

"You _are_ a Puckerman babe. You already are."

* * *

Rebecca Puckerman was struggling with her squirming ten month old nephew in her arms. It was a beautiful day in Central Park, but the little ring bearer wouldn't sit still. She was almost positive that if she got her dress wrinkled, Kurt would have her head. The flamboyant man actually terrified her just a little bit. She'd watched him lay into her brother that morning and it was scary as hell. They still had about twenty minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start. Noah and Rachel were actually with the rabbi, along with Dianna Puckerman and Marcus Berry who were the witnesses, signing the _ketubah_. Along with being flower girl, which she thought was sort of funny since she was almost twenty-one, she'd also been assigned to being babysitter to the holy terror. She could already tell, Levi was going to be just as rambunctious as his father had been. It made it all worthwhile.

Suddenly, Levi started happily babbling more than before and she looked up to see her brother walking towards them. He reached down and scooped the child into his arms before she could say anything about how he looked in a suit (she had every intention of making fun of him even though she actually thought her brother cleaned up pretty well) and lifted Levi up in the air.

"How's my big boy? Have you been giving Aunt Becca a hard time just like I told you?" Levi babbled again, which Noah took in the affirmative and smiled really wide. "Yes you have! Such a good boy! Wait until you see how pretty mommy looks. You won't even believe it buddy." Rebecca smiled and took Levi back from the proud father.

"So Rachel looks great I guess? Not that I expect anything else." The look on her brother's face said it all. She'd never seen him like this before. But, she assumed that on his wedding day to the mother of his child, that's how he was supposed to look. You know, so happy you'd think the sun was shining just for him. Yeah, that kind of look. He reached into the inside pocket of his tux and pulled out what looked like a folded piece of cloth. When he handed it to her, she smiled in realization at the tiny little _kippah_.

"Make sure he's wearing that for the ceremony. Both Ma _and_ Rachel would kill me if he's not." Suddenly a shrill voice, Kurt, was yelling at him from across the grass near where the _Chuppa_ had been set up, ordering him to get in place. Noah rolled his eyes and turned to shower Levi's face with kisses, thus making him squirm even more than before, then turned to go where Kurt had directed him. Rebecca sighed and looked down at Levi. The kid had gotten the best of both worlds when it came to looks. Just the thought of how persuasive he'd learn to be once he could make full sentences rather than his baby babbling made her laugh out loud and kiss his little forehead. She was the best damn aunt ever.

Rachel smoothed the front of her dress down and took a deep breath. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous all of a sudden. It wasn't like it was an arranged marriage or anything. She was certainly no blushing bride. Her beautiful little boy was evidence to that if nothing else. This was _Noah_ she was marrying. The man she was more in love with today than she'd been on the day that she first _realized_ that she was in love with him. Levi's father and the most wonderful man she'd ever really known. She _knew_ this man, in every possible way. So why the nerves? For that, she didn't really have an answer.

"Rach, Rachel, are you in there? Ceremony's about to start _mami_, get your head on." Rachel blinked a few times at Santana waving her bouquet in front of her face and laughed, adjusting the delicate lace of her veil. Just then, Rebecca walked around the corner with Levi in her arms and Rachel's nerves instantly dissipated at the sight of her son. She dropped the bottom of her dress, not caring if Kurt screamed until he was blue in the face over the expensive silk he'd used to make it, and strode quickly over to her soon-to-be sister-in-law. She smiled when Levi began making his usual 'mau mau mau" noises when he saw her. He reached his arms out to her, hands grabbing at the air until she pulled him into her arms.

"There's my favorite man in the whole wide world! Just don't tell your daddy, deal?" She cooed over her son for few more minutes, nuzzling his face with her nose and making him giggle out loud, when Marcus and Alan both came up beside her.

"It's time sweet pea," Marcus spoke with a thick voice. She nodded, placing one last kiss to Levi's forehead before handing him back to his aunt. "You look beautiful Rachel." Rachel dabbed at the tears that threatened to fall and smiled up at her dad.

"Thank you dad." When she turned to look at Alan, only to see he'd already given in to the tears, she just laughed. "Daddy, you can't cry until you're giving me away," she playfully scolded him, mostly to keep herself from crying too.

Kurt walked around the corner and clapped for them to get lined up and Rachel laughed as Santana and Brittany instantly did as they were told. Rachel was kind of glad she didn't have to be a bridezilla, Kurt more than made up for it as wedding planner/dress designer for the whole soiree.

She looked down at her gown as her fathers led her behind Brittany. It was the softest powder blue, she'd insisted that it not be white, with thin satin straps on her shoulders holding it up. The bodice hugged the figure she'd worked hard to get back after having Levi and widened from about mid-thigh all the way down to the ground. It flowed slightly with the breeze, just enough so you could see the white embroidery work that Kurt had insisted upon about six inches from the hem. The dress was beautiful, but she honestly couldn't wait for her husband to take it off.

As 'Canon in D' started, Rachel took another deep breath. This was it. This was where she and Noah would officially start their lives together. She had to grip just a little tighter on her fathers' arms just to keep from running down the aisle. When she saw Noah at the end, standing next to the rabbi under the _Chuppa_, her heart fluttered like never before. She met his eyes and their gazes held until they were standing in front of each other.

The rabbi began the service, reciting from the marriage contract they'd signed earlier and going from there. Rachel smiled when Levi was brought forth with the rings; he was still happily babbling quietly in Rebecca's arms. Noah grinned at her and held the wedding band out to put on her finger before reciting, "Behold, you are consecrated to me with this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel."

Once he'd slipped the ring onto her hand, Rachel stepped out from under the canopy and said, "_Ani l'dodi, l'dodi li_" with a clear voice despite the tears of joy the trickled slowly down her veiled cheeks.

The seven blessings followed and Rachel had to remind herself to keep breathing. It was really happening. She was _really_ about to become Mrs. Noah Puckerman and the thought made her so happy she was scared she might bubble over in excitement. Dianna stood to take the wine glass from Noah after he drank at the end of the last blessing and Rachel leaned forward to accept as the glass was gently placed to her lips by her new mother-in-law. Dianna patted her cheek and smiled before she went to sit back down.

When the rabbi sat the glass down for Noah to crush, Rachel's heart leapt around in her chest all over again. As the booming cry of '_Mazel Tov'_ rang out from the guests after the crunching of the glass under Noah's foot, he quickly lifted the veil over her face and pulled her into his arms. Before she had the chance to register what was happening, Noah dipped her low and kissed her deep, causing her hands to fist in the lapels of his jacket. The kiss was hardly appropriate but wholly _them_ and she loved every second of it. Knowing that she had a lifetime of them left just made it even better.

* * *

Noah held Levi in his arms during the reception. It was Rachel's father daughter dance with her dads and the song she'd chosen, "Dance With My Father", just fit so perfectly. As soon as Rachel had stepped on the floor, Levi had stopped squirming and yanking on his clip-on tie. He definitely had a mama's boy streak in him that Noah couldn't fault. Kid had good taste at least. He was just like his dad.

Suddenly, Santana and Tina were in front of him demanding to hold the baby and he laughed as he handed him over. Levi, not being able to see his mom anymore, got fussy but that didn't deter the women at all. And as soon as they had him in their arms and fawning over him, he was content once more. Oh yeah, just like his dad. When they moved, the song was over and Rachel was no longer on the floor with her dads. He was starting to stand up when a pair of slender arms slid down his chest from behind.

"Well hello there _Mr. Puckerman_." Her voice was at his ear, breath tickling his neck, and he couldn't help the shiver that went down his spine.

"_Mrs. Puckerman_," he replied, turning his head to catch her lips. Noah tugged on her hand until she came around and sat down on his lap. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and stared into her eyes before clearing his throat. "Thank you Rachel, for everything. I love you." He watched her bite her lip, like she was contemplating something. Then she leaned in and ran her lips along his jaw. It wasn't long before they were caught in a heated tango of tongues, seemingly forgetting their guests all around them, and just relishing each other. She pulled back after a second, emotions swimming in her eyes, smiled.

"I love you too Noah, _leoylem-voed_."

_**-fin-**_

* * *

**a/n2: **_**leoylem-voed**_** means 'forever and ever'.**


	23. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Noah walked into his apartment a day early from his trip to Las Vegas. The grand opening of Chase the Morning: LV went off without a hitch and he'd been able to wrap up business quickly in order to catch an earlier flight back to New York. He knew that Rachel wasn't expecting him home which made it even better. She reacted really well when he surprised her.

As he walked into their bedroom to put his suitcase up, he passed by all of the family photos that littered their walls now and the smile on his face nearly hurt. Levi Puckerman was the best eight year old on the planet, and he wasn't even saying that just because he was biased. His son was a skinny little runt just like he'd been at that age, with curly hair that he liked to keep long just because girls always liked to play with it whenever they went out. Kid was already a total flirt. Noah was separating his dirty clothes from his clean ones when he heard the front door open and his wife's voice.

"Levi sweetie, you know I don't have a problem with it but you'll have to ask daddy when he gets home from his business trip. Now go play and I'll fix you a snack okay?" Before the little boy could make it down the hallway to his room, Noah stepped out of the bedroom.

"Daddy," Levi shouted as he jumped up into his father's arms. "I thought you weren't s'posed to be home until tomorrow? Did you get fired?" Noah laughed as he walked back into the living room where Rachel was standing with her hands on her hips.

"Buddy, they can't fire me because I own the place. And because I own the place, I get to leave whenever I want. So I came home early to surprise you and mommy! Is that cool with you?" Levi nodded his curly little head and wrapped his arms around the larger man's neck. Noah leaned down to kiss Rachel before Levi could see what he was doing and smiled at his wife.

"Noah, since you're home, Levi has something he wants to ask you." Levi rose up from Noah's shoulder and looked down at his mom, nodding his head as Noah sat down on the couch with his son in his lap.

"Lay it on me dude." Levi wiped his nose on his sleeve like any eight year old boy and then looked at his dad.

"Dad, I want to take dance lessons." He heard Rachel snicker from where she was seated on the arm of the couch but he didn't look her way.

"Okay, what kind of dance lessons did you have in mind?" The child took a deep breath, squaring his small shoulders, and Noah knew a speech was on its way. Levi could talk as much as his mother.

"All of them! Hip-hop, jazz, ballet, tap, _every single one_! And Uncle Mike said that he started taking dance lessons when he was my age and he awesome now! Aunt Brittany said that she would even give us a deal at the studio where she teaches because we're almost related! I don't really get how someone can be _almost_ related but isn't that awesome dad?" Puck smiled at Levi, remembering the speech he'd given Rachel years ago. It was starting to look like he would indeed be cheering his son on at a ballet recital. He still didn't have a problem with that but he felt he should ask just to make sure. He patted the leg that was thrown over his.

"Well buddy, why do you want to take dance lessons?" Suddenly, the generally talkative and extroverted child ducked his head and mumbled something under his breath. He could see Rachel smiling out of the corner of his eye. "Levi, I don't have a problem if you wanna take dance little man. But you're gonna have to tell me why you have a sudden interest in it. Okay?" Levi raised his head to look at his father and chewed on his bottom lip, just like his mother.

"Well, Natasha started taking ballet and I like her. So if I take ballet, I can see her more and one day she'll like me more too. But I wanna take the other dance classes because they seem really cool. And I promise that I'll keep taking my guitar and piano lessons because I don't want to give those up." Noah couldn't help himself. He laughed out loud, throwing his head back at the full-bodied chuckle that erupted from his throat and wrapped his arms around Levi's shoulders in a hug.

Natasha Cohen-Chang-Lopez (mouthful huh?) was the little girl that Santana and Tina had adopted from Poland shortly after his and Rachel's wedding. The two children were growing up together and apparently Levi was starting to take notice of the young girl, as more than just his friend.

"So you want to take ballet so Natasha will like you more?" Levi nodded like a bobble-head doll which made Noah laugh more. "Okay bud, that's cool with me. Now go get your overnight bag packed because Becca and Sam are gonna be here any minute to pick you up. You're gonna spend the night over at their place tonight." Rachel stood up from the couch arm as Levi shot a 'yes' into the air and ran down the hallway to get his things ready.

Looking at the smug look on her husband's face, Rachel knew he had something up his sleeve. She raised an eyebrow at him and cocked her head to the side. She tapped her foot silently as she waited for explanation.

"On the plane ride back, Sam offered to take Levi for the night so we could have some alone time. He thinks sucking up to the boss is gonna keep his ass safe just in case dating the boss's sister doesn't pan out." Rachel hit his chest lightly and leaned up to kiss him softly on the mouth.

"I imagine that he'll be asking for your blessing any day now to marry Rebecca. I knew they were a good fit when I introduced them at our wedding. Good thing Santana helped get her into NYU so she could move to New York in the first place. You see, it's always better when my plans work out." He knew that his next piece of news would only further that smug grin on her face.

"Alright _yente_, Sam actually asked me on plane back home so you can quit your scheming now." He followed her gaze down the hall and immediately knew what she was thinking. "Oh wait, is this whole thing with Levi and Natasha _your_ doing? Are they your next match? He just learned his first three chord progressions and you're already planning his wedding, aren't you?" Rachel just rolled her eyes.

"I resent that Noah. Even if Natasha is genetically Jewish, and the loveliest little girl I have ever seen, I would never try to fix up my eight year old son. Levi likes Natasha all on his own and you can't really blame me for encouraging that." Noah slid his hands down her backside and squeezed firmly, whispering against her lips when she was melting in his arms,

"C-J-M." Before she had the time to really react to that, Levi's small voice could be heard behind them.

"_Ew_, kissing is _gross_." Noah was laughing when he heard a knock on the door. Rachel knelt down to check his bag, making sure he'd packed more than just his toys to make the bag look full, which he'd tried on more than one occasion, while Noah went to the door. "Aunt Becca," Levi squealed when the door was opened. "Sam I Am!" He dropped his bag and ran over to the couple in the doorway, wrapping his arms around Rebecca's legs holding on for dear life it seemed. "Can we go? Mommy and daddy were _kissing_, yuck." Sam leaned down and picked Levi up chuckling as he held the boy under his arm.

The first time Sam had held Levi like that, Rachel very nearly had a heart attack but now it didn't bother her so much anymore.

"Sure thing little man." Rebecca stepped over and took his bag from Rachel after greeting her with a warm hug. Sam had placed Levi back on the ground and was taking the small bag from Rebecca's hand to throw over his shoulder. Levi ran over to Noah and jumped up into his arms to hug him goodbye.

"Love you daddy, _leoylem-voed_." Noah kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear,

"Forever and ever too buddy. Love you. Be good for Sam and Aunt Becca." Levi leaned over in Noah's arms to hug Rachel, repeating what had become their familial saying.

"_Leoylem-voed_ mama, love you." Rachel ran a hand through his curly hair and smiled back at him.

"I love you sweet boy. Now be good." Noah let him down and within a few minutes, the trio was gone and he was alone with his wife in their apartment.

Without saying a word, he took her hand and walked down the hall to the bathroom. He noticed the way her breath hitched when he shut the door, the rise and fall of her chest quickening as he turned on the water, god he'd missed his wife. He'd only been gone for a couple of days but he _missed_ his wife.

Slowly, pulled her to him and sucked on her neck until she whimpered and gripped his arms. She pulled away from him and started to tug at his button-up shirt, tugging too hard and ripping the buttons in the process. Rachel gasped a little but kept going, sliding the fabric down his arms and revealing the smooth expanse of bare chest she was quite possibly addicted to. Once the dress shirt was for gotten on the floor, Noah lifted her t-shirt over her head and tossed it to the corner of the room. Instantly, his hands were on her hips, looping his thumbs into the belt loops on her jeans as she unbuttoned them. The second they were loose, he jerked them down her legs, panties included and smirked when she stepped closer to him to get out of her pants. When he was free from his own slacks, Rachel pushed him towards the shower.

The second the two were under the water, it was like dropping a match into a bucket of gasoline. Rachel lifted her leg up into the crook of Noah's elbow as he slid into her. She moaned at the cold tile on her back, at the feel of him hard and throbbing inside her, at everything. He dipped his head to lick a trail from her collarbone to her earlobe and she snapped her hips to his forcefully. Rachel gasped when he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and continuing to slam into her. His tongue and mouth began doing unspeakably delicious things to her breasts, sucking and licking, biting and lavishing, it was all too much. She remembered that they were alone and used it to her advantage.

"God Noah, yes _yes_ yes!" He chuckled low in his throat only to have that chuckle become a growl when she rolled her body right when he thrust up into her. "Come on baby, right there. Oh harder!" Noah, brought even closer by her words, took his hand off of her ass and placed them on either side of her head for leverage, noticing how she tightened her legs around his waist to keep from slipping. He pulled out as far as he could and pushed back in to the hilt, pounding her body hard enough that her inner thighs were bound to have bruises later. Neither of them cared as he pushed her higher, wanting her to fall apart around him.

Suddenly, Rachel gripped his shoulders hard and leaned down to press her lips against. Every ounce of passion she had left went into that kiss and allowed her to be consumed by the pleasure he'd pushed her to. Feeling her walls grip his dick, the muscles moving and stroking him as he continued his thrusts, made him come right then. He continued to move inside her, drawing out their orgasms as long as possible, until he felt like his legs were made of play-do and she didn't have the strength to keep hers wrapped around him anymore. They both slumped against the shower walk and stayed there until the water ran cold, just breathing, sharing space.

Later that night, Rachel lay breathless beside him after another earth-shattering orgasm. After a few minutes, she rolled over and kissed him deeply.

"Noah I have a question." Noah didn't really like that tone of voice. That was her 'I have a plan' voice.

"Alright," he ventured, having no idea what could be on his wife's mind and vaguely registering that if she could in fact still think, he had more work to do.

"Brittany asked me to go maternity clothes shopping with her. I've been thinking that since _Evita_ is closing in two weeks, I could maybe buy some more for myself." Noah smirked and pulled her over so that she was straddling his waist.

"That wasn't a question babe," he playfully pointed out. Rachel just leaned down, her own smirk playing on her face, and pressed her lips to his neck. She arched her head to suck on his earlobe and grinned when he growled.

"What do you think of the name Leah for a girl?"

* * *

**a/n: I just wanted to thank everyone for taking this journey with me. It's been amazing and you guys are truly the best readers I could ever ask for. This story has brought me so much happiness while I've been writing it and I hope it's done that for some of you as well. Before anyone 'worries', this story is not my swan song. I already have another multi-chapter Puckleberry story in the works being fleshed out and plenty of one-shot prompts that I can't wait to get started on. Author alert me and you'll see all the stuff I write! Again, I could never thank you enough for the encouragement and amazing words you have all blessed me with. Thank you! Meagan (musicconsumes)**


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